Fires Torch Hundreds Of Acres Of Brush In Calveras County, Spare Homes

CALAVERAS COUNTY (CBS) - A pair of wildfires torch hundreds of acres of land on Tuesday afternoon.

The Pacheco Fire sparked just South of Valley Springs and spread to 350 acres by 7 p.m. Another fire started shortly after near Copperopolis.

The forward progress of the Stage Coach fire was stopped at 35 acres.

"The whole hillside towards the east is on fire," said Ken Acremant.

He watched as more than 300 acres of his ranch burned off Lanford Pacheco Road in Calaveras County.

"What can I do? I can't do nothing," said Acremant, "I grabbed my pick and shovel."

All the while another grass fire threatened some homes in Copperopolis, only a few miles away.

Firefighters were trying to keep pace.

"They move quick. It's all open," said Acrement.

On Acremant's ranch, the flames charred the valley and moved east while under a water assault from the sky.

Firefighters quickly drowned the flames using three helicopters. They filled up in small nearby ponds and moved quickly.

"It looked like the whole place was on fire," said another rancher Dennis Borba.

Friends nearby sent him a video of smoke billowing over top of his ranch. He rushed home from an animal show more than an hour away.

"It's a terrible feeling because, you know, you have animals," said Borba, "they're in a field and they have no way out."

Borba says he quickly opened gates and moved his cattle to a field further away from the flames.

Sixty animals had to be corralled and led away from the burning vegetation -- a difficult process.

"I own buck and bulls and fighting cattle," said Borba, "they're a little on the wild side."

Acremant says the Pacheco fire came within 20 feet of one person's home, and only an outhouse was burned.

"Thank the good Lord, you know. It's our lucky day," said Borba.

Moving animals, and at times, evacuating them is a process one volunteer group in Calaveras county is trying to improve.

The group DART of Disaster Animal Response Team is working to coordinate the animal evacuation process with county and state officials.

Click here to see their Facebook group.