Battle Of The Flat Fire In Tuolumne County

Sacramento-- (CBS13 News) Firefighters spent most of the afternoon and evening Sunday battling what they named the Flat Fire in rural Tuolumne County.

Working in tandem, helicopters took turns gathering water from a nearby lake and dumping it on the flames.

"We could just see the plume of smoke , but it didn't seem like it was an immediate danger to us" said resident Brittney Eakle.

Concerned for their safety, however, sheriff's officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents living along Priests Coulterville Road.

"We just had to grab most of our personal belongings and head out. That's all you can do in this situation really" Eakle said.

Despite rugged terrain and temperatures near 100 degrees, firefighters made steady progress containing the flames throughout the afternoon and evening.

"Looks like they're stomping the fire pretty fast" said county employee, Mike Lozano, posted at one of the road closures.

"I imagine it will be out by tomorrow morning" he said.

Evacuation orders were lifted just after sunset and residents were allowed to return to their homes.