A runaway wildfire raging near Yosemite National Park has grown into one of the largest fires this year, forcing thousands of Californians from their homes in remote mountain communities as the fire raged for the third straight day .
Despite efforts by more than 2,000 firefighters to contain the blaze, the blaze that broke out in the Sierra Nevada foothills on Friday was zero percent contained as of Sunday, state fire department officials said.
Photos and video footage from the affected region — a rural landscape of nearly 18,000 people — show the destruction inflicted by the fast-moving inferno, which has been spreading east at high speeds and pressured officials to contain the blazes.
At least 10 buildings have been destroyed so far, California firefighters said Sunday, and five were badly damaged — another 2,000 remain at risk.
Despite efforts by more than 2,000 firefighters to contain the blaze, the blaze that broke out in the Sierra Nevada foothills on Friday was 0 percent contained as of Sunday, state fire department officials said. Pictured is the raging fire behind a Smokey the Bear warning sign against Sunday wildfires
Photos and video footage from the affected region — a rural landscape of nearly 18,000 people — show the destruction inflicted by the fast-moving inferno, which has been spreading east at high speeds and pressured officials to contain the blazes
At least 10 buildings have been destroyed so far, California firefighters said Sunday, and five were badly damaged — another 2,000 remain at risk
Firefighters’ failure to even begin to suppress the blaze has prompted officials to declare a state of emergency for Mariposa County – after the blaze forced more than 6,000 people to evacuate their homes while threatening local wildlife
Firefighters’ failure to even begin to suppress the blaze has prompted officials to declare a state of emergency for Mariposa County – after the blaze forced more than 6,000 people to evacuate their homes while threatening local wildlife.
Officials ordered residents to pack up and evacuate on Friday after the fire suddenly blazed around 2:30 p.m. southwest of the iconic national park near the small mountain town of Midpines, nine miles from Mariposa.
On Saturday, officials described the fire’s behavior as “explosive,” citing how the fast-spreading blazes ran through bone-dry vegetation caused by one of the worst droughts in the American Southwest in centuries, worsening the crisis.
The drought, a 22-year “mega-drought” caused by low levels of precipitation, is the worst drought the region has experienced in more than 1,200 years and is closely linked to climate change.
Firefighters have since struggled to put out the blaze — dubbed the Oak Fire — using an army of planes and bulldozers in steep terrain and as temperatures soared.
On Sunday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told viewers that a similar lack of results is expected on Sunday due to unseasonably high temperatures and the current drought in the area.
An incident report Sunday morning warned citizens to stay away and officials to deal with the disaster – which is fast becoming one of the worst in the area and consuming more than 22 square miles of forest land, Cal Fire said.
“Today the weather is expected to remain hot with minimum humidity levels between 5% and 10%, which will hamper firefighting efforts,” the agency said in a statement on Sunday.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials said.
Firefighters are working to prevent the oak tree fire from reaching a home in the Jerseydale township of Mariposa County, California on Saturday – the second straight day of the unprecedented blaze
A firefighter sprays water while battling the oak tree fire in Mariposa County, California on Saturday as the “destructive” blaze wreaked havoc
A firefighter holds a hose while battling the oak tree fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, California on Saturday
Flames engulf a chair in a burning home as the oak tree fire blazes in Mariposa County Saturday
Firefighter Joanna Jimenez holds a dog she found in a fire evacuation zone as the Mariposa County Oak Fire burns
Flames engulf a home on Triangle Rd. as the live oak fire raged in Mariposa County Saturday, a harrowing image that shows the damage many families are facing
Evacuation orders were in place for more than 6,000 people who lived across a span of several miles in the sparsely populated area in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the effects of the fire.
Flames destroyed 10 residential and commercial buildings and damaged five others, Cal Fire said.
Numerous roads were closed, including State Route 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road – one of the main routes into Yosemite.
California has seen 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 lost power on Sunday and there was no indication when it would be restored.
“PG&E does not have access to the affected equipment,” the utility said as the blazes raged Friday.
The oak fire was started as firefighters were fighting an earlier blaze, the Washburn Fire, which 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 Sierra National Forest.
An air tanker flies over the live oak fire in Mariposa County Friday as first responders ramped up efforts to battle the blazes
Flames erupt from trees as the oak fire crosses Darrah Road in Mariposa County on Friday