Priest Fire Near Groveland Injured Three Firefighters and Closed Highway 120

A wildfire near Big Oak Flat temporarily disrupted the Highway 120 and Priest Grade corridor serving the Groveland area and injured three firefighters before reaching full containment.

The Priest Fire began at about 2:25 p.m. July 6, 2026, at Old Priest Grade and Highway 120 in Big Oak Flat, Tuolumne County. CAL FIRE reported the fire at approximately 10 acres and listed its cause as under investigation.

Containment reached during July 7 shift

CAL FIRE reported that firefighters stopped the fire’s forward progress at 11:48 p.m. July 6. All evacuation warnings had been lifted by 12:52 a.m. July 7. Full containment was achieved during the July 7 shift and announced at 1:12 a.m. July 8.

CAL FIRE’s final incident record lists the Priest Fire at 100% containment and approximately 10 acres. That status applies to this incident and does not resolve the separate question of the fire’s cause, which remained under investigation in the available official record.

Orders affected Priest Station and Priest Coulterville Road

Initial evacuation orders covered Priest Station and Priest Coulterville Road. Big Oak Flat was placed under an evacuation warning during the initial response.

The fire location was Big Oak Flat, not necessarily the incorporated or census-defined center of Groveland. Groveland is the nearby community and local service area used here for context.

Highway and grade closures disrupted travel

Highway 120 was closed from the Highway 49 junction to Big Oak Flat. Old Priest Grade was closed to traffic except emergency vehicles, while New Priest Grade was temporarily limited to evacuating residents, according to CBS Sacramento’s contemporaneous report.

Those restrictions affected a travel corridor used by Groveland-area residents, workers and commuters. Caltrans reported no current traffic restrictions on SR 120 in the Central California area and Sierra Nevada as of 6:52 a.m. August 3, 2026. That later status does not establish the exact time the July emergency closures were lifted.

Three firefighters injured

CAL FIRE’s final incident record confirmed three firefighter injuries. CBS Sacramento reported that the injured firefighters were treated and medically released; the available reports did not specify the nature of their injuries.

The Groveland Community Services District was listed by CAL FIRE as a cooperating agency, alongside Tuolumne County Fire, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, CHP, PG&E and other agencies. The listing does not indicate that the district led the incident.

For Groveland-area residents, the fire produced a short-lived but significant evacuation and transportation disruption. The incident itself reached full containment, while the official cause determination remained unresolved in the available records.

Sources

• CAL FIRE Priest Fire incident record
• CBS Sacramento Priest Fire report
• Caltrans SR 120 road information