Gann Fire Local State of Emergency DeclaredFree Access

Tuesday early evening, Cal Fire mappers sized the Gann Fire, burning in Valley Springs, at 6495.1 acres, still with no containment. That afternoon, Calaveras County officials declared a local emergency over the incident nearly 24 hours after it ignited Monday south of New Hogan Lake. Calaveras Unified School District additionally cancelled classes for Wednesday.
Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the state were flying fire suppression missions as conditions allowed. Assigned assets included 4 helicopters along with ground resources of 50 engines, 8 water tenders, 16 dozers and 254 personnel.
Officials at the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, Office of Emergency Services (OES) stated due to the ongoing impacts of the Gann Fire, Calaveras County Sheriff Rachelle Whiting proclaimed a local state of emergency for Calaveras County.
This is the first major fire event occurring in the county since county OES coordination was moved to the auspices of the CCSO, which is coordinating the countywide emergency response with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Tuolumne Calaveras Unit (Cal Fire TCU), local fire agencies, county administrators, and supporting emergency response partners.
Noting that the fire incident, which originated near Hogan Dam Road and Gann Road south of New Hogan Lake, had grown to an estimated 3,759 acres as of Tuesday afternoon, requiring a significant coordinated response from local, state, and regional partners; resulting evacuation orders and warnings; impacting access to affected areas, threatening homes and property, and creating sustained demands on emergency response resources.
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 8680.9, a local emergency is a condition of extreme peril to persons or property proclaimed as such to assist with the activation of extraordinary emergency provisions and resources. Having one in place serves as an essential prerequisite for requesting state or federal assistance, if such assistance becomes necessary.
The next step is for the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors to review the proclamation for ratification within seven days as required by law.
As the accompanying map shows, six zones are under mandatory evacuation (CC–109, CC-110, CC-130, CC-139, CC-140, CC-147) while four more are under evacuation advisories. (CC-111, CC-131, CC-148, CC-153).