Supervisors prepare for fire season

During the regularly scheduled meeting in downtown Madera, Madera County Supervisors passed two resolutions with future fire seasons in mind, including an agreement with Merced County Fire to jointly staff a department, and the purchase of more than 50 acres in Oakhurst to construct a road with the intent of expediting evacuation during fire emergencies.

With a busy start to this year’s fire season, Madera County’s Cal Fire has already encountered 38 incidents. Having taken place between the Tozer bridge and the high-speed rail, along with multiple instances between the Firebaugh canal, the Tesoro area, and Avenue 8 1/2, the season has already proven capable of overextending the resources within the county. On more than one occurrence, emergencies have left Madera without a single engine in a station, all having been committed to incidents. 

In order to better safeguard the residents of Madera County, the board approved two discussion items listed on the agenda during their Tuesday meeting, each addressing opposite sides of Madera County.