Jamestown, CA – Tuolumne County came together last night for a fundraiser to support the 6-5 Fire Chinese Camp victims as they continue to rebuild their lives.
The lightning fire broke out on September 2, 2025, with the flames destroying 95 structures; 45 were homes, mostly around Chinese Camp, and it damaged seven more. The “For Our Neighbors” benefit and silent auction was held at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown, where fire victims left with nothing but the clothes on their backs were offered shelter, along with the Black Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne, immediately after the blaze. Tribal Chairman of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Kevin Day thanked the packed house for giving so generously. Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians Tribal Chairman Joseph Mathiesen-Powell stated that the blaze was personal, affecting many friends, relatives, and employees. He noted, “That community is resilient. Time and time again, it has endured hardship. And time and time again, it has risen with strength, unity, and pride. The people of Chinese Camp have always shown what it means to stand together to rebuild and to carry forward the history in the spirit of such a special place.
The featured speaker was Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office Captain Wes Smith, who lost his Midpines home in the July 22, 2022, Oak Fire that burned 19,244 acres of vegetation, 127 residential structures, and 66 outbuildings, as detailed here. He also served as the Office of Emergency Services for the county and told the packed house how he immersed himself in work to make it day by day. He also urged victims to reach out and seek help.
Every dollar raised at the event will go directly to the Sonora Area Foundation’s Chinese Camp Recovery Fund, ensuring local families have the support they need to stay on track, rebuild, and begin again by joining forces with community leaders, resources, and the public to restore not just homes but hope. Tuolumne County Board Chair and District 5 Supervisor, which covers the Jamestown and Chinese Camp areas, Jaron Brandon recounted how this event came about. “We came together over a Zoom call and said we can raise some money that is going to really help because many of these folks, if you’re not aware, were unsure in this community. So, there isn’t for all these folks a check coming in to be able to rebuild. The money that is raised here is going to support folks in their recovery effort that may not have additional assistance coming in, at least in time to handle the bills that they have.”
Also on hand was Assistant Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services (OES) Director Dore Bietz, who gave an update on the recovery work. “There are just little steps that we take; we’ve got to remove the debris, we’ve got to make it safe for those community members to go back, and then there’s going to be a rebuilding phase. And it’s really, really important that we as a community are supporting all of the individuals impacted by the fire throughout the entire process. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen with one entity or one agency; it has to be a collective, and this is a test on our resiliency and how we come together.”
At the time of this post, the total amount of money raised was not available, but organizers reported last night that over $100,000 had been raised so far through ticket sales, business, and public donations. Those still wanting to donate can contact the Sonora Area Foundation at (209) 533-2596. Other sponsors included Sierra Pacific Industries, Maynords Recovery Center, the Taufer/Nordvik Family, Shelly Davis-King, Tuolumne County, Doris Newberger, Clarke Broadcasting, Adventist Health Sonora, Waste Management, the Red Cross, and Rise Therapeutics.
