On September 3, 2025, as smoky skies blanketed Central California, firefighters continued a relentless battle against a sprawling series of wildfires known as the TCU September Lightning Complex. Sparked by a barrage of lightning strikes—more than 9,600 in just the first two days of September, according to Governor Gavin Newsom’s office—the complex comprised at least 22 separate fires by Wednesday afternoon, scorching over 13,300 acres across Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. The situation, while not unprecedented for California’s fire-prone foothills, has left a trail of devastation, forced mass evacuations, and tested both emergency agencies and local communities.
The largest and most destructive of these blazes, the 6-5 Fire, raged on the north side of Don Pedro Reservoir, burning through more than 6,800 acres with no containment reported as of Wednesday afternoon, Cal Fire confirmed. The historic Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp, a place many remember as a landmark en route to Yosemite, found itself at the epicenter of the destruction. Live coverage from KCRA 3’s Anahita Jafary painted a grim picture: “It’s devastating out here. It’s really hard to put into words what exactly we’re looking at because of how much the fire has destroyed this area.”
Walking through the wreckage, Jafary described scenes of melted cars, downed power lines, and the skeletal remains of homes and businesses. “Maybe some parts of different buildings are standing, but nothing really still fully intact, fully together,” she said, noting that only metal items provided clues to what once stood. The town’s historic post office, dating back to 1854, was internally damaged but still stood, while a stage stop from the mid-1800s was reduced to rubble. Miraculously, two pieces of the town’s history—a schoolhouse and a Catholic church—along with the cemetery containing Gold Rush-era graves, survived the inferno.
Chinese Camp wasn’t alone in its suffering. The 2-7 Fire, which started near Vallecito off Highway 4 in Calaveras County, consumed approximately 591 acres, while the 2-2 Fire, first reported near Copperopolis, burned more than 3,400 acres before authorities lifted evacuation orders by Tuesday afternoon. Other fires, like the 2-8 and 2-3, burned hundreds more acres, and a handful of smaller blazes dotted the region, each believed to have been ignited by lightning.
Evacuations swept across the region. Mandatory orders covered the north end of Don Pedro Reservoir up to Chinese Camp—where Highway 49 and Highway 108 meet—and extended to neighborhoods in and around Vallecito and Murphys. According to Cal Fire, “Multiple ground and air resources have arrived, totaling 634 personnel. Additional ground and air resources are on order and will be engaged on the fire lines as soon as they arrive.” Crews faced not only the flames but also steep, rugged terrain that often forced them to hike in on foot, and gusty winds from lingering thunderstorms that complicated containment efforts.
For those displaced, shelters opened at the Sonora Senior Center in Tuolumne County and Bret Harte High School in Angels Camp, Calaveras County. Both locations welcomed pets, while the Motherlode and Calaveras County Fairgrounds offered refuge for livestock and large animals. The Chicken Rancho Casino Resort in Jamestown even offered a complimentary night’s stay for evacuees with valid ID. Meanwhile, major highways—such as the 120 and 108 divide at Yosemite Junction—were closed, and traffic rerouted as the fires threatened key transportation corridors.
Amid the chaos, stories of resilience and loss emerged. KCRA 3 reported speaking to former and current residents of Chinese Camp, including a woman who sold her house a few years prior but still had deep ties to the community. Her husband and his parents are buried in the local cemetery, and she herself has a plot there. Another woman, who stayed behind during the fire, witnessed the flames and destruction firsthand. “It is very devastating for both of these women,” Jafary relayed. “We’re just so thankful that she wasn’t hurt.”
In Calaveras County, residents near Vallecito and Murphys faced their own trials. Maricela De La Cruz of KCRA 3 spoke with a man whose cabin survived despite the fire burning all around it, though he lost a shed and a truck. Another resident, whose cattle were evacuated, recounted how he and his wife stayed behind to protect their home: “We had sprinklers going at the house. We had all the critters loaded up and all of our valuables loaded up and ready to go and just turned on all the water we could and pulled everything away from the house that, you know, chairs and stuff that might be flammable… You always talk about it, but you never anticipate actually going to have to do it.”
Despite the scale of the disaster, no injuries were reported as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Cal Fire. The agency also noted that while a number of structures had been damaged or destroyed, a Damage Inspection Team was still being assembled, and exact figures were unavailable due to ongoing firefighting efforts. Aerial footage from LiveCopter 3 showed entire blocks of Chinese Camp leveled, while some houses between Highway 120 and Red Hills Road appeared untouched—sometimes the result of defensible space, other times simply luck or the unpredictable nature of fire behavior.
Air quality across the region suffered as smoke settled in low-lying areas. Meteorologist Heather Waldman explained on KCRA 3, “Anywhere we have these red dots around Sonora and Groveland, that’s where the air quality is at an unhealthy level for anybody that’s going to be outside for long periods of time.” The thick haze, while sometimes limiting fire activity by depriving flames of oxygen, made outdoor conditions hazardous for residents and responders alike.
State and federal agencies mobilized significant resources. The governor’s office announced that California had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to bolster the response, especially for the 2-7 Fire. Cal Fire anticipated more thunderstorms in the Sierra, raising concerns about additional lightning and gusty winds that could hinder containment or spark new fires.
As the sun set on September 3, uncertainty hung over the region. With containment still elusive and the full extent of the damage unknown, residents, officials, and firefighters braced for what the coming days might bring. The resilience of communities like Chinese Camp and Murphys, the dedication of emergency crews, and the outpouring of support from neighbors and local businesses offered hope in the face of destruction. But for now, the fight against the TCU September Lightning Complex was far from over, and the scars—both physical and emotional—would linger long after the last ember cooled.
