Wildfire forces evacuations in historic California mining town

A cluster of lightning-sparked wildfires raged across parts of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties in Northern California on Wednesday (September 3), engulfing part of a historic Gold Rush mining town once home to thousands of Chinese immigrants, and forcing widespread evacuations in the area. A video released on Tuesday (September 2) by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office showed flames advancing near roads and emergency vehicles positioned close to the fire line.