Twain Harte - As of Monday, August 3 at 8 am, the Knight Wildland Fire in Stanislaus County was 40 percent contained, according to a release from the Tuolumne-Calaveras unit of CAL FIRE. The battle remains heated as 1,352 committed personnel continue to fight the blaze in a canyon 10 miles north of Twain Harte. The massive effort includes 30 Type I hand crews, 6 Type II hand crews, 9 Helicopters, 3 Air Tankers, 62 Engines, 10 Dozers and 24 Water Tenders. So far, three personnel have been injured. The effort has been going on since the fire’s inception on Sunday, July 26 and has so far burned an estimated 4,594 acres. Amador County citizens from Pine Grove, Fiddletown, Shake Ridge Road and even downtown Jackson reported smelling smoke, prompting calls to the Amador County Sheriff’s Office dispatch and the Amador Fire Protection District. Amador Sheriff’s office attributed the smell to the Stanislaus Fire. According to Barbara George, Personnel Specialist for CAL FIRE, “burn-out operations on the west end of the fire are progressing as planned and fire personnel remain on the lines day and night.” Crews have begun mopping up in previously burned areas along the fire line. She said, “Consistent drops in temperature and rising humidity aid the firefighters as the war wages on to extinguish the blaze.” CAL FIRE predicts that heavy smoke will continue to impact many outlying areas through the coming week. The estimated cost of the fight so far is $7,600,000. The incident is being managed under a Unified Command between the United States Forest Service and CAL FIRE. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.