Crews Can't Contain Fire Near Yosemite

Blaze burns out of control in high heat, low humidity
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 23, 2022 5:40 PM CDT
Updated Jul 24, 2022 1:55 PM CDT
Thousands Ordered Out of Homes as Fire Nears Yosemite
Flames consume a home Saturday in Mariposa County, Calif.   (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Update: The wildfire raging near Yosemite National Park, which has become one of California's biggest of the year, remains out of control. And officials said the forecast for Sunday is not encouraging, the AP reports. "Today the weather is expected to remain hot with minimum humidity between 5 and 10%, which will hamper firefighting efforts," according to an incident report issued in the morning. About 2,000 firefighters are deployed against the Oak Fire, as are aircraft and bulldozers. Cal Fire reported no containment yet. Our original story from Saturday follows:

A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California's largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses. The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday morning had rapidly grown to 10.2 square miles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park, the AP reports.

Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest. "Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters," Cal Fire said in a statement that described the Oak Fire's activity as "extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching." By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures, damaged five others, and was threatening 2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said. The blaze prompted numerous road closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road—blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite.

story continues below

Firefighters made significant progress against another wildfire, which began in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest. The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Friday after burning about 7.5 square miles of forest. It was one of the largest fires of the year in California, along with the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County that was fully contained in June at 9 square miles. The fire broke out July 7 and forced the closure of the southern entrance to Yosemite and evacuation of the community of Wawona as it burned on the edge of Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant sequoias, the world's largest trees by volume. Wawona Road was tentatively scheduled to reopen on Saturday, according to the park website.

(More California wildfires stories.)

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