(KERO) — County fire officials have sent a crew of eight to the Sacramento area to help out on the Electra Fire. State fire officials called it a "major threat to the region."
According to CAL FIRE it started Monday in dry grass near Amador County. It is currently just above 4,000 acres and is now 40 percent contained.
CAL FIRE says the evacuation orders remain in effect.
One family was able to escape the fire on Independence Day as they fled their celebration after what John Sullivan called "a bonfire out of control."
Sullivan grabbed his wife, eight-year-old daughter, and their five-month-old son and ran until an Amador County Sheriff's Deputy stopped the family and nearly one-hundred others trying to escape the fire. The group then fled to a nearby PG&E property.
"So there's the power plant. Most of us were in there. The fire was actually coming towards us a lot faster than we thought it would be," Sullivan said. "I called my family. Called my dad and said, 'I love you.' I talked to my mother for a moment."
First responders were able to keep families safe.
Sullivan says he felt a sense of relief after escaping the fire but says he did become emotional in his car.