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A wildfire burning near Cottage Springs in Calaveras County had consumed 400 acres of forestland as of this morning and remained just 20 percent contained. The Ramsey Fire was reported at 2:45 p.m. Saturday and is suspected to have been caused by an escaped campfire in the North Fork Stanislaus River, according to Stanislaus National Forest spokesman Jerry Snyder.
Cal Fire, Ebbetts Pass Fire District, a Del Rosa Hotshot crew and California Highway Patrol responded. A Del Rosa firefighter who was working at the scene had to be medically evacuated for heat stroke. He was taken to a Modesto hospital and has recovered, Snyder said. The area where the fire is burning is sparsely populated but there are some full-time residences, summer cabins and miscellaneous structures that could be threatened, Snyder said. No evacuations are in place, and no roads or trails have been closed. The Ramsey Fire is one of six blazes in the region that have kept firefighters busy in recent days. • The Armario Fire in Soulsbyville was fully contained by the end of last week. The blaze, which started Tuesday night, burned two homes, an outbuilding, some vehicles and 30 acres of land, according to Cal Fire spokeswoman Lisa Williams. No injuries was reported and the cause is still under investigation. • The Wheats Fire, reported Aug. 6, has burned 260 acres in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and was fully contained on Friday. No structures were destroyed and no injuries were reported. The U.S. Forest Service closed several trails, but no roads. Lightning is suspected as the cause. Snyder said the Forest Service would normally take advantage of a natural fire to clear out a buildup of brush and aid the growth of new plants if it were not for the dry conditions and high temperatures. • A house on the 13600 block of Kincaid Flat Road near the Mountain Springs Golf Club in Sonora was destroyed after it caught fire Thursday morning. No injuries were reported and the cause was still under investigation. • A house on the 22000 block of South Fork Road near the Wildcat Ridge Road intersection in Twain Harte was badly damaged after it caught fire Aug. 4. Damage to the structure and its contents was estimated at $500,000 and the cause is unknown, although some neighbors suspect lightning. • Firefighters have been monitoring a slow-burning fire in Yosemite National Park that started after lightning struck the area on June 15. The Cascade Fire has burned 518 acres of land, mostly consisting of rock, decomposed granite, wet meadows and ponds, according to the National Park Service. Fifty percent of the fire perimeter is active but the growth rate is not expected to change. |