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CA firefighters finally contain Telegraph Fire

The Fresno Bee, Calif. (August 6, 2008)
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FRESNO, Calif. - The Telegraph fire in Mariposa County was reported 100 percent contained on Wednesday, and two more homes were added to the destroyed list, raising the tally to 30.

All roads in the area were open Wednesday. Evacuation orders had been lifted. Normal electric power was restored to Yosemite National Park, which had been on emergency power, the Telegraph fire joint agency command center reported.

Meanwhile, more than 1,200 lightning strikes were recorded electronically in a 24-period ending at 6 a.m. Wednesday. The strikes sparked a rash of fires in Northern California, but except for two fires in the Inyo National Forest on the eastern slope, the central Sierra Nevada apparently escaped the overnight lightning barrage.

The count of homes burned by the Telegraph fire increased as damage assessment teams surveyed the area. The blaze also destroyed 100 outbuildings and charred 53 square miles.

Investigators don't expect to find remains of any human fire victims, Cal Fire spokesman Wayne Barringer said.

With more than 1,000 firefighters still on the lines, the cost of fighting the flames, which erupted after a July 25 midafternoon target shooting mishap, climbed past $37.6 million.

On Wednesday, Cal Fire officials refused to name the male adult who fired a rifle about 30 feet across the Merced River, accidentally sparking the blaze. Capt. Matt Watson, an investigator with the Madera-Mariposa-Merced ranger unit, said the shooter and his three companions have cooperated with investigators.

"At this point, we haven't found any crime that he's committed," Watson said. "He was shooting from an area that should have been safe."

The weapon and ammunition involved were legal, said Watson. The shooter and his companions, one male and two female, were in an area without cell phone contact. They tried to fight the flames and then drove 7.8 miles along a winding dirt road to reach a paved roadway where they flagged down a sheriff's deputy.

By that time, a U.S. Forest Service lookout had already reported the fire, Watson said.

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