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Firefighters continued to battle a deadly California wildfire on Wednesday as the blaze spread, authorities announced.
As of Wednesday, the ‘Ferguson Fire, which had seized parts of the Mariposa county area for the past five days, has threatened around 108 homes and business and has had more than 1,800 local and state California firefighters deployed to address the area. The fire grew to more than 17,000 acres, Cal Fire officials said Wednesday.
The fire had claimed the life of one firefighter and injured two others.
Cal Fire Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney was killed on Saturday while working the wildfire, according to officials.
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The officials recovered Varney’s body in the Sierra National Forest with the assistance of California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 5 and transported him to the local coroner’s office.
“But he hasn’t been alone,” said Cal Fire spokesperson Jeremy Rahn told Sierra News. “Cal Fire and our Honor Guard have been by his side the entire time.”
In the first few hours of the wildfire on Friday, California Highway Patrol closed Highway 140.
“One of the entrances to the park on Highway 140 route has been impacted but Yosemite National Park is open and we are not encouraging or discouraging anyone from coming,” said Jamie Richards, the public affairs officer for the park.
The other three entrances to the park remain open and Richards says there is no immediate impact in visitors.
“This may be the only time some families can come visit the park, so if they chose to come, we will welcome them and are ready to serve,” Richards said.