EL DORADO COUNTY-

A vegetation fire is continuing to burn more than 1,300 acres of dry brush near Sand Ridge Road and Fresh Water Road in El Dorado County.

“If we don’t stop this thing now, it’s gonna continue up the canyon and we’ll be doing a lot of evacuations and losing a lot of country tonight,” Jim Bynes, with El Dorado County Sheriff’s Emergency Services, told FOX40.

Firefighters gave mandatory evacuation orders for all of the 30-40 homes in the small community by 6 p.m.

“This fire is well established in the river drainage. It’s burning north and east, up toward Sand Ridge Road, where we are right now. There is also a smaller fire burning to the south toward Amador County. It’s still in El Dorado County, though, along river,” Bynes said.

Cal Fire confirmed the fire destroyed two unidentified structures, by about 10 p.m.

Dina Kirkland lives nearby, on Courier Road. She watered the roof of her house, while her husband protected it with a shovel, a tractor and water buckets.

“We’re just trying to keep everything damp. We haven’t watered much with the drought. Everything is pretty dry,” Kirkland said.

Kirkland’s husband drove the tractor to his wife to update her on the firefight.

“The firefighters made their way right down on our property line now, got the fire stopped now, but it’s burdening around the river,” he said.

A small sign of hope for the family, who said part of their 160 acre property had burned earlier in the evening.

Firefighters are working throughout the night in an effort to get the fire under control.

“It’s still a very aggressive fire down in the canyon. The flame lengths are reaching 300 feet,” Bynes said.

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