Firefighting aircraft, bulldozers and firefighting teams were battling yesterday, Sunday, to bring under control a fast-spreading wildfire west of Yosemite National Park in California, USA, which suddenly and unexpectedly grew into one of the largest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of people to to move away from their homes.
Fueled by extreme heat and drought in forests and scrubland, the Oak Fire that broke out Friday is coming within 0.8 miles of the town of Mariposa Pines, but is still more than 10 miles from Yosemite, which is known for its huge sequoias.
As of last night, that fire had burned 63,140 acres, more than half the size of Paris, and was far from being contained, according to the California Forestry and Fire Protection Service.
Ten structures were destroyed and 5 were damaged.
About 3,800 people had been ordered to evacuate their homes, Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Bridges told reporters.
California fire officials announced that they had sent additional firefighting teams early, but the fire progressed in such a way that it exceeded their maximum efforts.
The fire is moving east toward the mountain range and town of Mariposa Pines and toward Yosemite, said Justin Macomb, a California fire official.
“The fire overtook us. We couldn’t even attack it with the means we had,” he noted. “In my career, I have not seen a fire develop in such a way,” he emphasized.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Located an hour’s drive from Mariposa County, Yosemite is home to some of the largest and oldest redwoods in the world. These trees were also threatened by another forest fire earlier this month, but firefighters managed to save them.
More than two decades of drought and rising temperatures have made California more vulnerable than ever to wildfires, with 2020 and 2021 set to be the two most devastating years. In those two years more than 27.5 million hectares burned, an area larger than Rwanda.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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