Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park forces evacuations in California – USA TODAY

Uploaded by on July 25, 2022 at 10:50 am

One of California’s biggest wildfires this year exploded to over 21 square miles Sunday, forcing thousands to flee remote mountain communities as the blaze near Yosemite National Park burned out of control amid sweltering temperatures and low humidity.

The Oak Fire erupted Friday in Mariposa County, near the small town of Midpines. Firefighters, meanwhile, made progress against the Washburn Fire that’s 12 miles east near Yosemite that threatened the park’s largest and most iconic sequoia grove.

The Washburn Fire was 87% contained after two weeks of firefighting, but the Oak Fire remained 0% contained as of Sunday evening, according to Cal Fire.

The 2,000 firefighters battling the blaze were expected to encounter tough conditions including low humidity, high temperatures and steep terrain, Cal Fire said. The agency also dispatched 17 helicopters, 225 fire engines, 58 dozers and 23 water tenders to fight the Oak Fire.

“It’s hot out there again today,” Cal Fire spokesperson Natasha Fouts said Sunday. “And the fuel moisture levels are critically low.”

Light winds were blowing embers ahead into tree branches “and because it’s so dry, it’s easy for the spot fires to get established and that’s what fuels the growth,” Fouts said.

By Sunday afternoon, the blaze had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged five, according to Cal Fire. Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 3,100 homes and businesses in the area had lost power, with no indication when it would be restored.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County because of the fire, and over 6,000 people in the remote Sierra Nevada foothills were evacuated. A handful of residents defied the orders and stayed behind, said Adrienne Freeman with the U.S. Forest Service.

“We urge people to evacuate when told,” Freeman said. “This fire is moving very fast.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Cal Fire said.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years with climate change warming and drying the western U.S. over the past three decades. Wildfires will likely become even more unpredictable, frequent, and destructive, scientists have warned.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/24/oak-fire-wildfire-yosemite-national-park-evacuation/10139891002/

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