EMC home destroyed in fire, resources limit other damage

A fire tore through a home in Oakhurst, spreading into the surrounding vegetation, prompting evacuation advisories and rendering the home a total loss.

Just before 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, firefighters were called to the scene of an incident in the River Parkway area, later dubbed the Teddy Fire in Eastern Madera County. It was burning at a home on Hartwell Road and spread one-quarter acre into the vegetation.

A thick plume of dark smoke was visible from town and around the area as the fire burned at a moderate rate of speed, according to the firefighters in the first engine on scene. Power lines were down before being de-energized by PG&E.

The home was estimated to be approximately 1,800 square feet. Ground and air resources were deployed to mitigate the fire.

A standard response was initiated including eight engines, two dozers and two hand crews. Air attack coordination plane, two helicopters for water drops and two fixed-wing air tankers for retardant drops were deployed.

Highway 41 was closed at River Parkway Road to Indian Springs Road.

An evacuation advisory was sent out for Big Oak Flat Road South, River Parkway Road and Southern Yosemite Highway.

With some of the area’s local firefighters earlier called to duty in Snelling to battle the 1,200 acre Field Fire burning in Merced County, others stepped in for Eastern Madera County.

“We worked with a lot of agencies on the Teddy Fire which was really great, to get help from our neighbors,” said CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Mike Houk.

CAL FIRE and Madera County Fire received assistance from Fresno and Kings counties as well as a strike team from Northern California.

Forward progress was stopped just after 7 p.m. Firefighters remained on scene until nearly midnight to mop up.

CAL FIRE said the blaze totaled 2.4 acres and, while the home was destroyed in the fire, the garage next to it was saved.

Houk said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

One witness said the property’s exterior was typically unkempt, strewn with shopping carts in the gully down to the creek and home to unattended pets which sometimes ran around in the neighborhood.

“That owner has had a history of letting homeless people live on that property,” said one individual familiar with the scene.

“We are hoping now that it has burned down they will leave and if they don’t we’re hoping the county will support requesting that they do leave from the homeowner.”