Fire
rages out of control with only 2% of the Rim Fire contained in the
Stanislaus National Forest on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013. ANDY ALFARO — The
Modesto Bee Buy Photo
Published: August 21, 2013 Updated 1 hour ago
UPDATE,
3:45 p.m.: A wildfire outside Yosemite National Park more than tripled
in size Thursday, shutting down businesses in surrounding communities
and leading scores of tourists to leave the area during peak season.
California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency due to the huge fire, one of several blazes burning in or near the nation's national parks and one of 50 major uncontained fires burning across the western U.S.
Fire officials said the blaze near Yosemite, which threatens several thousand homes, hotels and camp buildings, had grown to more than 84 square miles and was only 2 percent contained Thursday, down from 5 percent a day earlier. Two homes and seven outbuildings have been destroyed. (Click here to see a PDF map of the area.)
UPDATE: As of Thursday morning, the fire is 53,866 acres, with more than 1,300 firefighters battling it. Containment has been reduced from 5 percent Wednesday to 2 percent as the fire moved up Cherry Creek and the Tuolumne River Canyon.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters continued to wage an uphill battle against the Rim fire, which jumped a containment line and has grown in nearly every direction.
The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors held an emergency meeting Wednesday afternoon, saying in a resolution that the fire "is now directly threatening various communities and businesses within the County and is beyond our capabilities." Members asked Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency. (Click here for update.)
The fire, which broke out in a remote area near Groveland on Saturday, has consumed more than 16,000 acres in Tuolumne and Mariposa counties and is threatening 2,500 structures. Firefighters have struggled to protect small communities and campgrounds in the area, but nine structures have been destroyed.
It's one of 51 major uncontained wildfires burning in California, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. More than 19,000 firefighters were fighting the fires.
On Wednesday, authorities broadened their evacuation area for the Rim fire, adding the community of Pine Mountain Lake. Evacuations so far remain advisory rather than mandatory, said Ashley Taylor, public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
The wind picked up on Wednesday, bringing another challenge to firefighters already dealing with intense heat and the steep, rocky terrain of the Stanislaus National Forest.
"Those are all factors that are affecting how this fire is going to behave," Taylor said. Containment remained at 5 percent.
The fire jumped a containment line along Cherry Lake Road near the firefighters' base camp. Crews managed to keep the fire along the east side of the road, Taylor said.
No injuries have been reported, though firefighters are working in higher than normal temperatures for the area.
Read More and View Additional Photos HereCalifornia Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency due to the huge fire, one of several blazes burning in or near the nation's national parks and one of 50 major uncontained fires burning across the western U.S.
Fire officials said the blaze near Yosemite, which threatens several thousand homes, hotels and camp buildings, had grown to more than 84 square miles and was only 2 percent contained Thursday, down from 5 percent a day earlier. Two homes and seven outbuildings have been destroyed. (Click here to see a PDF map of the area.)
UPDATE: As of Thursday morning, the fire is 53,866 acres, with more than 1,300 firefighters battling it. Containment has been reduced from 5 percent Wednesday to 2 percent as the fire moved up Cherry Creek and the Tuolumne River Canyon.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters continued to wage an uphill battle against the Rim fire, which jumped a containment line and has grown in nearly every direction.
The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors held an emergency meeting Wednesday afternoon, saying in a resolution that the fire "is now directly threatening various communities and businesses within the County and is beyond our capabilities." Members asked Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency. (Click here for update.)
The fire, which broke out in a remote area near Groveland on Saturday, has consumed more than 16,000 acres in Tuolumne and Mariposa counties and is threatening 2,500 structures. Firefighters have struggled to protect small communities and campgrounds in the area, but nine structures have been destroyed.
It's one of 51 major uncontained wildfires burning in California, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. More than 19,000 firefighters were fighting the fires.
On Wednesday, authorities broadened their evacuation area for the Rim fire, adding the community of Pine Mountain Lake. Evacuations so far remain advisory rather than mandatory, said Ashley Taylor, public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
Fire
rages out of control with only 2% of the Rim Fire contained in the
Stanislaus National Forest on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013. ANDY ALFARO — The
Modesto Bee Buy Photo
"The
message we're just sending out there is that we are aggressively
fighting this fire and looking for new opportunities to take it down,"
Taylor said.The wind picked up on Wednesday, bringing another challenge to firefighters already dealing with intense heat and the steep, rocky terrain of the Stanislaus National Forest.
"Those are all factors that are affecting how this fire is going to behave," Taylor said. Containment remained at 5 percent.
The fire jumped a containment line along Cherry Lake Road near the firefighters' base camp. Crews managed to keep the fire along the east side of the road, Taylor said.
No injuries have been reported, though firefighters are working in higher than normal temperatures for the area.
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ARTHUR MOURATIDIS/for the Missoulian
