A fast-moving wildfire near Yosemite National Park has become one of California’s largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and power outages to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.
The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the Mariposa County town of Midpines and had grown to 11,900 acres without containment by Saturday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters advanced against an earlier fire that had burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite Park.
Flames engulf home on Triangle Rd. as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County, California, on Saturday, July 23, 2022. Noah Berger/AP
Evacuation orders went into effect Saturday for more than 6,000 people living several miles away in the sparsely populated rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday due to the effects of the Oak Fire.
More than 400 firefighters battled the blaze, along with helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included hot weather, low humidity and dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades, Patterson said.
“Explosive fire behavior is a challenge for firefighters,” Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday, describing Oak Fire activity as “extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and cluster fires.”
By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial buildings, damaged five others and threatened another 2,000 structures, Cal Fire said. The fire caused numerous road closures, including shutting down Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road – blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite.
Cal Fire crews battle the Oak Fire on July 23, 2022 near Mariposa, California. The fast-moving Oak Fire is burning outside Yosemite National Park. Getty Images
California has experienced increasingly large and deadly wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.
“The fire is moving fast. This fire was throwing embers up to 2 miles in front of it yesterday,” Patterson said. “These are exceptional fire conditions.” The cause of the fire was being determined.
Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday afternoon, and there was no indication when it would be restored. “PG&E does not have access to the affected equipment,” the company said.
An elderly, shoeless man trying to escape a fire Friday crashed his sedan into a ditch in a gated area and was helped by firefighters. He was removed safely from the area and did not appear to have sustained any injuries. Several other residents remained in their homes Friday night as the fire burned nearby.
Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against the wildfire that started in Yosemite National Park and burned through the Sierra National Forest.
The Washburn Fire was 79 percent contained Friday after burning about 7.5 square miles of forest. It was one of California’s largest fires of the year, along with the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County, which was fully contained in June at 9 square miles.
The fire broke out on July 7 and forced the closure of Yosemite’s South Entrance and the evacuation of the community of Wawona as it burned at the edge of Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant sequoias, the world’s largest trees by volume.
Add Comment