Lightning Ignites Destructive Wildfires in Historic California Gold Rush Town
A series of lightning-sparked wildfires have ravaged over 13,000 acres across Northern California, threatening historic sites in the Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp. Evacuation orders are in place as firefighters work to contain the blazes, with significant property losses reported but no immediate casualties.
In Northern California, a cluster of lightning-ignited wildfires has wreaked havoc across two counties, prompting evacuations and threatening the historic Chinese Camp, a Gold Rush-era mining town. The flames, fueled by strong winds, have consumed over 13,000 acres since Tuesday.
Numerous homes in and around Chinese Camp, once inhabited by thousands of Chinese immigrants, have been destroyed. While flames gutted two historic buildings, a church from 1854 remains untouched. CalFire reports that over 600 personnel are battling the fires.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced efforts to secure resources for firefighting operations. Evacuation shelters have been set up, and power crews are repairing damaged utilities amid widespread outages. As the largest current wildfire incident in California, these fires are part of a statewide series of blazes.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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