Wildfires erupt in northern part of state, burning Gold Rush town

Chinese Camp was once a bustling mining outpost for thousands of immigrants who worked the gold fields of the Southern Sierra. Then it was a historic landmark where tourists could revisit an often-forgotten chapter in California history.

- BY ALEX WIGGLESWORTH AND SUMMER LIN

STEPHEN LAM San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images

FLAMES from the 6-5 fire engulf a structure in the historic mining town of Chinese Camp, Calif., on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, a wildfire raced through the remnants of the Tuolumne County town, raising worries about what has been lost.

The destruction came as 22 wildfires erupted Tuesday in multiple locations in Calaveras, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties during a burst of dry thunderstorms that produced more than 5,000 lightning strikes. The fires, which ranged from a few acres to several thousand acres, together had burned 13,371 acres as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The largest of the fires — the 6-5 fire — forced the evacuation of Chinese Camp, a California Gold Rush mining town where thousands of Chinese immigrants settled in the late 1800s. The fire was still uncontained as of Wednesday evening.

The extent of the damage in Chinese Camp wasn't immediately clear pending an official review, said Emily Kilgore, public information officer with the Cal Fire Tuolumne Calaveras Unit.

About 61 people still live there.

Videos shared by local media outlets showed widespread devastation. Smoke billowed up from blackened pavement as flames licked at piles of rubble, power lines snaked across the street.