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- THE WEEK, Page 15NATIONGold Rush in Reverse
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- California battles a wildfire in the land of Mark Twain and
- Bret Harte
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- Calaveras County was once the heart of the Gold Rush. This
- August the rush has been for the exits. Stubborn forest fires
- swept through drought-stricken timber and brush, threatening a
- score of scenic small towns, once made famous by Mark Twain and
- Bret Harte, and forcing nearly 14,000 residents to flee. Nearly
- 4,000 fire fighters labored throughout the week, bringing the
- flames under control just as another wildfire broke out in
- Northern California's Shasta County.
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- Several hungry fire fighters who tried to use state-issued
- meal vouchers were turned away by local restaurant owners who
- didn't trust the budgetless state government to pay their bills.
- "It's understandable," said Lisa Boyd, spokesman for the state
- Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, "but no fire
- fighters are going hungry." Other Calaveras County restaurants
- were willing to take a chance and feed the exhausted smoke
- eaters.
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