Updated at 5:30 P.M. 4:20 P.M.

August 21, 2020 - The Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services is working in conjunction with the Tuolumne County Sheriffs Office and Cal FIRE on a combined response to a fire that ignited on August 20th in the Moccasin area. The fire is currently located between Hwy 49 and Priest Coulterville Road south Moccasin and has been deemed the “Moc Fire”. The acreage is estimated at approximately 2,800 acres with no containment at this time. Evacuations have been ordered in Tuolumne County, the evacuation areas are detailed below

There have been questions from the public regarding the size of the evacuation area in Tuolumne County. There are fires throughout the State of California that have significantly reduced the amount of resources available to respond to any new fire, including the Moc Fire. Cal Fire continues to make resource request to the State, but resources are limited, and public safety is the number one priority. A number of factors led to a decision to expand the evacuation orders late last night. This is due primarily to the location of the fire, weather, limited resources, and the lack of ingress and egress routes for the Big Oak Flat and Groveland communities. After numerous conversations between Cal Fire, the Office of Emergency Services, and the Sheriff’s office; the Sheriff ordered the listed evacuations specifically for the preservation of life, so we do not experience the same type of catastrophe that has been witnessed in other communities.

Cal Fire continues to put an emphasis on prioritizing the life safety of citizens and firefighters throughout this event. Due to the recent 11,000 lightning strikes which have sparked multiple fires throughout the state resources are scarce. Even with these limitations, Cal Fire is working tirelessly to mitigate this incident. Due to the rapid rate of spread yesterday, minimal progress was made on establishing a perimeter around the fire. All agencies will continue to work closely and as more information becomes available it will be shared with the public. As always, we encourage the public to listen to local radio stations, check your local news and social media for updates.

Tuolumne County Mandatory Evacuation area:
Moccasin                                 Marshes Flat Rd to Moccasin Ranch Estates
Old and New Priest Grade     Priest Coulterville Rd.
Second Garrote                      Yosemite Springs
Old Hwy 120                            All of Big Oak Flat
Wards Ferry Rd                      Merrell Rd
Pine Mountain Lake               Hwy 120 all the way to Smith Station Rd.
All of Ferretti Rd.
Source: Tuolumne County