Sacramento Bee: Telegraph Fire as Reported on July 30, 2008

Toll of Telegraph fire continues to rise

By Niesha Lofing
July 30, 2008

The numbers associated with the Telegraph fire - acreage burned, containment, cost - are growing.

The fire burning in Mariposa County, about 12 miles west of Yosemite National Park, has consumed more than 32,000 acres. The fire is now 20 percent contained, according to a 7 a.m. update by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

It is one of several fires still burning in the state, large swaths of which were set ablaze nearly two months ago as fire season got an early start.

The Telegraph fire began Friday, sparked by a target shooter on private property. The firefighting effort now carries a price tag of nearly $14 million.

Twenty-one homes and 32 outbuildings have been destroyed. The fire continues to threaten 4,000 homes in several Mariposa County communities, Cal Fire states.

Mandatory evacuations are in place along roads that run between Mariposa, Midpines and Greeley Hill. Evacuation warnings also are in effect for portions of Mariposa, Midpines, Greeley Hill, Coulterville and Briceburg.

The fire also is causing closures along portions of Highway 140, which leads to the main entrance of Yosemite.