US: Wildfires destroy historic 'Gold Rush' town

According to local officials, 22 separate fires spread in an area about 100 miles east of San Francisco, burning an area of ​​nearly 11,000 acres.

The series of wildfires broke out after a storm moved through the area, with multiple lightning strikes hitting dry vegetation, causing the fires to spread rapidly.

The hardest hit was Chinese Camp, a remote town of roughly 100 people in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It was once a bustling mining community, established in the mid-19th century by thousands of Chinese immigrant laborers during the Gold Rush.

The fire destroyed two historic structures, including an old stagecoach stop and a cemetery on a hill.

Several other iconic structures were spared the fire, including the town's 170-year-old post office, one of the oldest Catholic churches in Central California, and the Chinese Camp Store and Tavern.

The entire town of Chinese Camp, along with several other communities in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, remains under mandatory evacuation.

More than 600 firefighters were mobilized to control the fire. In addition, at least two temporary shelters were set up to receive evacuees, along with facilities to receive pets and livestock. Electrical engineering teams were also urgently deployed to restore the power system damaged by the fire that spread rapidly, burning down power lines, transformers and electric poles.

Wildfires are part of the natural ecological cycle in the western United States. However, human activities, especially the excessive exploitation and use of fossil fuels, are rapidly changing the climate, making wildfires more frequent and more destructive./.