Creek Fire Traps Campers in the Sierra National Forest

The Creek Fire continues to burn in the area north of Shaver Lake, northeast of Fresno. The fire has spread to 36,000 acres and as of Sunday morning, it was 0% contained.

Fast-spreading wildfires sent people fleeing Saturday, with the Creek Fire trapping campers near Mammoth Pool Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest. The fires came as a brutal heat wave pushed temperatures into triple digits in many parts of state.

The wildfire exploded to 56 square miles, jumped a river and compromised the only road into the Mammoth Pool Campground, national forest spokesman Dan Tune said.

The Fresno Fire Department tweeted late Saturday night that 63 people were rescued from the campground by military helicopters and that two of them were severely injured, 10 were moderately injured and 51 others had minor or no injuries.

The Madera County Sheriff’s Department said in a tweet earlier Saturday that about 150 people were at the campground’s boat launch, and 10 of them were injured. “All are safe at this time,” the department tweeted.

On Sunday morning they tweeted Over 200 evacuated, 20 of those to area hospitals.

Officers were also evacuating Beasore Meadows. a large ranch in the Sierra National Forest, on Saturday night, the department tweeted.

Tune said the campers were told to shelter in place until fire crews, aided by water-dropping aircraft, could gain access to the site. Tune said he didn’t know how close the fire was burning to the campsite.

“All our resources are working to make that escape route nice and safe for them,” he said.

The lake is 35 miles northeast of Fresno and surrounded by thick pine forests. It’s a popular destination for boating and fishing. Bone-dry conditions and the hot weather fueled the flames.

“Once the fire gets going, it creates its own weather, adding wind to increase the spread,” Tune said.

The fire broke out Friday evening. Crews worked through the night, and by Saturday morning authorities issued evacuation orders for lakeside communities and urged people seeking relief from the Labor Day weekend heat to stay away from the popular lake.

“Adjust your Labor Day weekend plans. Access to Shaver Lake is completely closed to the public due to the #CreekFire,” the Fresno County sheriff’s office tweeted after announcing evacuation orders for campsites and communities by the lake.

The California Highway Patrol shut State Route 168 to only allow access for emergency responders and evacuees.

Across the state, Cal Fire said nearly 12,500 firefighters were battling 22 major fires. Despite the heat, firefighters were able to contain two major fires in Monterey County.

California has seen 900 wildfires since Aug. 15, many of them started by thousands of lightening strikes. The blazes have burned more than 1.5 million acres. There have been eight fire deaths and nearly 3,300 structures destroyed.

The heat wave was expected to spread triple-digit temperatures over much of California through Monday. Officials urged people to conserve electricity to ease the strain on the state’s power grid.

Pacific Gas & Electric, warned customers Saturday that it might cut power starting Tuesday because of expected high winds and heat that could create even greater fire danger. Some of the state’s largest and deadliest fires in recent years have been sparked by downed power lines and other utility equipment.

For the latest news on the wildfire, see The Fresno Bee Live Updates.