Wildfire destroys family’s Mariposa County home for 2nd time

MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A little girl and her family were displaced after a 13-acre wildfire burned through a Mariposa County neighborhood and destroyed their home.

Jennifer Macy says this is the second time she has lost a home to a wildfire.

“The first time we had ten minutes to get out, this time, the back of the house and the roof was on fire before we even knew there was a fire. We had enough time to get kids and animals and that was it,” Macy said.

The 13-acre Utah Fire was first reported at 5:17 p.m. Monday, burning in the Bear Valley area near Highway 49 and Bear Valley Road; soon after, Macy and her family lost their home.

Macy says they did not receive an evacuation notice until the fire had already taken over the house.

“As you can imagine, it’s taken a lifetime to build up what my sister and her family have, and it is all gone in a matter of minutes,” Macy’s sister, Katrina Louis, wrote in a GoFundMe.

Jennifer says she also lost a house to the 2017 Detwiler Fire, a wildfire that burned 81,826 acres and destroyed 134 structures.

While Jennifer’s family had fire insurance in 2017, she says they have no fire insurance now because it became too expensive. Anyone who would like to help rebuild their lives can donate to the Silver Lining Fundraiser.