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Chinese Camp man describes how he saved his home surrounded by wildfire
A Tuolumne County homeowner was able to save his home surrounded by wildfire thanks to some help from his friends – and a chainsaw.
CHINESE CAMP, Calif. - A Tuolumne County homeowner was able to save his home surrounded by wildfire thanks to some help from his friends – and a chainsaw.
Layne Smith's family has lived in the small Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp for four generations, like most people in the city that has a population of just 61.
The TCU September Lightning Complex wildfire, which encompasses 22 smaller fires, started Tuesday evening and has burned over 13,000 acres in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties.
As the fire got closer to his home, Smith and his six friends started chopping down trees around the perimeter of the home.
SEE ALSO: Chinese Camp: 1st look at historic California Gold Rush town damaged by fire
"I just started running a chainsaw, cutting every limb, every tree down," he said.
They cut down trees and sprayed nearby sheds with water, in hopes of saving the home he bought just two years ago.
"It's my first house I owned. I put a lot of work into it," Smith said.
"I grew up just across the lake. No one wants to see their house burn," he added.
Residents Jake Stone and Layne Smith work to stop flames from a burning home from spreading to a neighboring house as the 6-5 Fire burns through the Chinese Camp community of Tuolumne County, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Associated Press)
‘This is Gold Rush’
What they're saying:
His friend, Jake Stone, lives across the river in Jamestown and stepped in to help fight the flames.
"Anytime there's a fire in the area and someone is under evacuation, it seems like the community gets together and brings equipment in – dozers, water trucks," Stone said.
He described the fire damage in the town as "pure devastation."
"You can't rebuild this. This is gold rush, it's history and it's gone," Stone said.
Authorities haven't said which historic buildings have been burned, but video shows the rubble and ash.
Chinese Camp is under a mandatory evacuation order from CAL FIRE, along with multiple other streets and highways in the area.
Evacuation shelters are located at Bret Harte High School in Altaville and the Sonora Senior Center in Sonora.
The fire started Tuesday just after 4 p.m. The cause – lightning, according to CAL FIRE.
The fire – now at 13,371 acres – remains uncontained, as of Wednesday afternoon.
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Chinese Camp: 1st look at wildfire that destroyed part of historic California Gold Rush town
New video shows the aftermath of a wildfire that destroyed part of a historic California Gold Rush town.
The Source: Interview with Layne Smith and Jake Stone, of Chinese Camp, Calif.