A lightning-linked wildfire known as the 6-5 Fire surged through the Gold Rush-era town of Chinese Camp in Tuolumne County on , burning multiple structures and contributing to nearly 12,000 acres scorched across the TCU September Lightning Complex while crews worked to gain control.
Key Takeaways
- The 6-5 Fire is part of the TCU September Lightning Complex, a cluster of at least nine lightning-started fires in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties.
- About 634 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to the complex.
- Nearly 12,000 acres had burned by the morning of Sept. 3, with containment reported at 0%.
- Multiple structures in the historic town of Chinese Camp were damaged or destroyed; the exact buildings affected are still being assessed.
- Dry thunderstorms and lightning are the suspected ignition source; the official cause remains under investigation.
- Evacuation orders were issued for parts of the area; residents are urged to follow Cal Fire guidance and be ready to evacuate.
Verified Facts
The 6-5 Fire was first reported Tuesday afternoon and quickly became one of the fires grouped under the TCU September Lightning Complex. Cal Fire personnel from the Tuolumne-Calaveras unit reported that nearly 12,000 acres across Calaveras and Tuolumne counties had burned by the morning of Sept. 3, with no containment reported at that time.
Cal Fire confirmed that 634 personnel were assigned to suppression and containment tasks in the complex. Crews were reinforced with engines and other equipment to address hot spots and protect threatened communities in remote, rugged terrain.
Chinese Camp, a designated California historical landmark about 40 miles from Yosemite National Park, sustained damage to several structures. The town — founded during the 1849 Gold Rush and named for the thousands of Chinese miners who lived there — still operates a post office originally built in 1854. Officials have not yet released a final inventory of destroyed or damaged historic buildings.
Context & Impact
Dry thunderstorms moved through the Sierra Nevada foothills on Tuesday, producing lightning strikes without accompanying heavy rain. Such storm patterns commonly trigger multiple ignitions across wide areas, overwhelming initial attack resources and creating complex incidents like the TCU complex.
The loss or damage of historic wooden buildings in Chinese Camp raises concerns about cultural heritage preservation and the vulnerability of small, rural communities to lightning-driven wildfires. The town’s proximity to Yosemite—roughly 40 miles—also raises risks for regional air quality and tourism if fires spread or smoke persists.
Power infrastructure and road access were affected in parts of the burn area, complicating firefighting logistics and community notifications. Officials warned there may be additional, undiscovered fires in remote terrain and urged preparedness for sudden evacuation orders.
Official Statements
“We are expecting warming weather but not any significant storm action at this point,”
Emily Kilgore, Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras spokesperson
Unconfirmed
- Whether the Chinese Camp Store and Tavern and the historic 1854 post office were completely destroyed remains unconfirmed.
- A definitive count of structures lost statewide to the TCU September Lightning Complex has not been released.
- No official determination of the exact ignition points or final cause has been published; investigators are still working on the cause assessment.
Bottom Line
The 6-5 Fire within the TCU September Lightning Complex has rapidly threatened a historic Gold Rush settlement and burned thousands of acres as hundreds of firefighters work in difficult terrain. Expect continued evacuation orders, crews focused on containment, and a multiagency investigation into lightning-started ignitions in the coming days.