A fast-moving wildfire fueled by lightning swept through Tuolumne County on Tuesday, destroying homes and forcing mass evacuations in Chinese Camp, a historic Gold Rush town settled by Chinese miners in the mid-1800s.
CalFire reported that the blaze, known as the 6-5 Fire, ignited at 10:34 a.m. along Old Don Pedro Road before spreading rapidly. By late evening, officials said the fire had consumed more than 4,000 acres and was folded into a larger group of blazes now called the TCU September Lightning Complex, which has scorched at least 9,383 acres.
At least five homes were burning Tuesday night in Chinese Camp, a small community about 57 miles east of Stockton. LiveCopter 3 footage showed destroyed structures along Washington Street and Red Hills Road, while downed power lines blocked roadways. "Sheikh Radwan is being burnt upside-down. The occupation destroyed houses, burnt tents, and drones played audio messages ordering people to leave the area," one resident said of the devastation in the neighborhood.
Residents scrambled to defend their properties as flames spread from house to house. Outside one home, seven people shoveled sand and cleared debris in a desperate attempt to stop the fire from jumping from a neighboring structure until firefighters arrived. An RV on the property was badly damaged.
Evacuation orders were issued for Keystone, Chinese Camp, and surrounding areas including La Grange Road, Old Don Pedro Road and Sixbit Gulch Road. CalFire stressed that residents in mandatory zones were "lawfully required to leave immediately due to threatening conditions."
Local casinos offered refuge to displaced residents. Black Oak Casino Resort announced it was providing free hotel rooms to evacuees, while Chicken Ranch Casino Resort said it was opening its doors after initially being in the fire's projected path.
Lightning was confirmed as the cause of the blaze. Governor Gavin Newsom's office reported more than 9,600 lightning strikes across California in just the first two days of September, sparking more than a dozen wildfires statewide. LiveCopter 3 crews covering the 6-5 Fire witnessed another strike triggering a fresh blaze nearby before pulling away for safety.
Chinese Camp, originally known as Camp Washington, became home to thousands of Chinese miners after they were expelled from nearby camps during the Gold Rush.
