Wildfire near Bass Lake destroys at least 10 homes, hundreds evacuated

Another fast-moving wildfire near Yosemite National Park that started Sunday afternoon has swept to the edge of Bass Lake, burned at least 10 homes and forced more than 1,000 evacuations, authorities said.

The Courtney fire began about 1:40 p.m. near Oakhurst -- the same area where the Junction Fire destroyed at least eight homes last month.

By nightfall, the fire had burned more than 300 acres and was 0% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The earlier Junction Fire had been heading to Bass Lake and gathering speed, but a shift in winds worked in firefighters’ favor. This time, winds pushed the fire over the ridge and left a neighborhood in heaps of ash.

“This is gut-wrenching,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief Chris Christopherson told the Fresno Bee. “It makes you sick.”

Greg Kilgore, pastor of First Baptist Church in Oakhurst, said that one couple from his church evacuated their elderly parents, their children and their animals, while their backyard and barn burned. He said at least five other church members have been evacuated.

He cancelled the planned Sunday night service so that “everyone could just come together and pray and support each other. We’re really thankful for the firefighters.”

Bass Lake is a popular recreation area southwest of Yosemite National Park. All boats were called off the water, in part so firefighters could fill tanks from the lake.

Air tankers and helicopters were making drops on the fire. Cars heading out of the evacuated areas were covered in pink retardant.

The out-of-control blaze was heading toward the Sierra National Forest and firefighters were still arriving.

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