FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno County officials will ratify a state of emergency declaration at a special meeting Friday over the Garnet Fire.
The wildfire is burning northeast of Pine Flat Lake and has scorched nearly 14,000 acres as of Thursday with no containment. The blaze started on Sunday.
Evacuation orders and warnings are still in place for a large portion of eastern Fresno County.
Fresno County officials say they are working at an emergency operations center and with CalFire and the U.S. Forest Service to monitor the situation.
Crews with the Forest Services said the fire had burned "actively" during overnight periods. Firefighters have focused on protecting infrastructure at Balch Camp should fire reach it.
Large dead trees are creating a challenge for crews and are adding to available fuels for the fire's spread.
Roughly 1,000 firefighters are responding to the wildfire and more are expected.
Earlier this week, the county closed Avocado Lake Park east of Fresno to residents in order to use it as an incident command center for the fire response.
Forest and county officials warn residents to use caution when driving around the fire area because of fire equipment and crews who are working. Visitors to the surrounding area are also warned of bad air quality if they plan to hike in the area over the weekend.
