An out-of-control wildfire raging near Yosemite National Park has burgeoned into one of the biggest blazes this year, forcing thousands of Californians to flee their homes in remote mountain communities as the fire raged for a third straight day.
Despite the efforts of more than 2,000 firefighters to contain the blaze, the fire, which began in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas Friday, was zero percent contained Sunday, state fire officials conceded.
Photos and video footage from the stricken region – a rural landscape home to nearly 18,000 – show the destruction left by the fast-moving inferno, which has spread east at a rapid rate, putting pressure on officials to contain the flames.
At least 10 structures have been destroyed thus far, California fire officials said Sunday, and five heavily damaged – with another 2,000 still at risk.
Despite the efforts of more than 2,000 firefighters to contain the blaze, the fire, which began in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas Friday, was 0 percent contained Sunday, state fire officials said. Pictured is the raging fire behind a Smokey the Bear warning sign against forest fires on Sunday
Photos and video footage from the stricken region – a rural landscape home to nearly 18,000 – show the destruction left by the fast-moving inferno, which has spread east at a rapid rate, putting pressure on officials to contain the flames
Smoke from the Oak Fire hangs over hills on Sunday. At least 10 structures have been destroyed thus far, California fire officials said Sunday, and five heavily damaged – with another 2,000 still at risk.
The Oak Fire burns through trees on Sunday. Officials described the fire’s behavior as ‘explosive,’ citing how the rapidly spreading flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by one of the worst drought in the American Southwest in centuries, worsening the crisis
A column of smoke rises above the Oak Fire on Sunday. Firefighters’ failure to even begin to quell the conflagration has spurred officials to issue a state of emergency for Mariposa County – after the fire forced more than 6,000 to evacuate their homes, while also threatening local wildlife
At least 10 structures have been destroyed thus far, California fire officials said Sunday, and five heavily damaged – with another 2,000 still at risk
Firefighters’ failure to even begin to quell the conflagration has spurred officials to issue a state of emergency for Mariposa County – after the fire forced more than 6,000 to evacuate their homes, while also threatening local wildlife
Firefighters’ failure to even begin to quell the conflagration has spurred officials to issue a state of emergency for Mariposa County – after the fire forced more than 6,000 to evacuate their homes, while also threatening local wildlife.
Officials ordered residents to pack up and vacate Friday, after the blaze suddenly surfaced southwest of the iconic national park at roughly 2:30 pm, near the small mountain town of Midpines, nine miles from Mariposa.
By Saturday, officials described the fire’s behavior as ‘explosive,’ citing how the rapidly spreading flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by one of the worst drought in the American Southwest in centuries, worsening the crisis.
The drought, a 22-year-long ‘megadrought’ caused by low levels of rainfall, is the worst the region has seen in more than 1,200 years, and is connected intimately with climate change.
Firefighters have since struggled to put out the fire – dubbed the Oak Fire – utilizing an army of aircraft and bulldozers in steep terrain and amid spiking temperatures.
On Sunday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told onlookers to expect a similar lack of results on Sunday, due to unseasonably high temperatures and current dry conditions in the area.
A Sunday morning incident report warned citizens to stay away and let officials deal with the disaster – which is quickly becoming one of the worse ever in the region, consuming more than 22 square miles of forest land, Cal Fire said.
‘Today the weather is expected to remain hot with minimum humidity between 5% and 10%, which will hamper firefighting efforts,’ the agency said in a statement Sunday.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials said.
Firefighters work to keep the Oak Fire from reaching a home in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday – the second straight day of the unprecedented blaze
A firefighter sprays water while battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday as the ‘destructive’ blaze wreaked havoc
A firefighters holds a hose while battling the Oak Fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday
Flames engulf a chair inside a burning home as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County on Saturday
Firefighter Joanna Jimenez holds a dog she found wandering in a fire evacuation zone as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County
Flames consume a home on Triangle Rd. as the Oak Fire burned in Mariposa County on Saturday, a harrowing visual showing the damage many families are facing
Evacuation orders were in place for more than 6,000 people living across a several-mile span of the sparsely populated area in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the fire’s effects.
Flames destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged five others, Cal Fire said.
Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the fire’s effects.
Numerous roads were closed, including State Route 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road — one of the main routes into Yosemite.
California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the western United States much warmer and drier over the past 30 years.
Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.
Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 3,100 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Sunday and there was no indication when it would be restored.
“PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment,” the utility said as flames roared on Friday.
The Oak Fire was sparked as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze, the Washburn Fire, that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park.
The 7.5-square-mile fire was nearly 80% contained after burning for two weeks and moving into the the Sierra National Forest.
An air tanker flies above the Oak Fire burning in Mariposa County on Friday as first responders increased their efforts to fight the flames
Flames leap from trees as the Oak Fire crosses Darrah Road in Mariposa County on Friday