Tuolumne’s Mount Knight fire continues to burn: Evacuation lifted

July 31, 3:12 PMSF Sierras Travel ExaminerAnne Mandler

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      Mount Knight area map courtesy of thepinetree.net and CalFire

Tuolumne County’s Mount Knight fire continues to burn 10 miles north of Twain Harte, near Mount Knight on the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River. The voluntary evacuation in the Mount Knight area is lifted. Travelers are advised to monitor updates to weather, road, and smoke conditions.

The burn area now spans 2,374 acres and is 20% contained. The fire began Sunday and was 1,643 acres in the evening. Locals in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties hear constant aircraft as ‘water cranes’ overhead pull water to douse multiple fire spots in the area. According to thepinetree.net, “all aircraft out of Columbia are responding to a vegetation and structure fire.”

As Debbie Santiago reports, the now termed 'Knight Wildland Fire's, “steep, rocky inaccessible terrain, extreme fire behavior, active burning throughout the night, hot, dry, low humidity,” make the fire situation challenging. “Residents continue to return to the Mt. Knight Subdivision. A special one-way traffic plan has been established as firefighters utilize the same route. The public is being asked to stay out of fire area as safety is a major concern.” Fire crews are engaged in burn-out operations in an effort to keep this fire at bay.

Mostesto Bee staff reports that as of Thursday, over 1,000 firefighters are tackling the blaze. Duane Lyon, Knight fire information officer said that evacuations affected 21 homes in the Mount Knight subdivision. Lyon could not predict when the fire would be fully contained.

As the weekend approaches in the Sierra counties, check pinetree.net, Cal Fire, and the Modesto Bee for updates. Thus far, there are no changes to local events such as the Bear Valley Music Festival.