Portions of a historic California Gold Rush town once home to Chinese miners was burned as hundreds of lightning strikes sparked numerous fires across Northern California.

The wildfires , which sparked Tuesday around 4:05 p.m. in multiple locations in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, has burned 12,473 acres as of Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fires forced the evacuation of the Chinese Camp Town, which is a California Gold Rush mining town where thousands of Chinese immigrants settled in the late 1800s.

There were no reported injuries or deaths. The fire was still uncontained as of Wednesday morning.

Evacuation orders were also issued for Six Bit Ranch Road, Six Bit Gulch Road, Red Hill Road, Don Pedrro Dam Road, Old Don

See Full Page