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Residents work to stop flames from a burning home from spreading to a neighbouring house in Tuolumne County, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025.

Video. Wildfire burns homes in historic California Gold Rush town

Updated:

A fast-moving wildfire has burned homes in the historic California town of Chinese Camp, founded in the 1850s by Chinese miners forced out of a nearby settlement.

The blaze is one of nearly two dozen fires spread across Northern California on Wednesday.

It forced about 100 residents in the Sierra Nevada foothills to evacuate and closed a main highway between San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.

Firefighters and aircraft fought through thick smoke to contain the flames.

It is not yet known if the town’s Gold Rush era buildings were damaged, but some historic landmarks, including a church from 1855, appeared to have survived the flames.

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