WAWONA, Calif. — A fast-moving wildfire near Yosemite National Park erupted Friday afternoon and prompted evacuations even as firefighters made progress towards an earlier blaze that burned to the sting of a grove of big sequoias.
The Oak Fire started at about 2 p.m. southwest of the park near Midpines in Mariposa County and rapidly unfold to 1,600 acres, in line with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
No buildings had burned however the Lushmeadows subdivision, which has about 1,700 residents, and a handful of roads within the Sierra Nevada foothill space had been below obligatory evacuation orders.
There’s no speedy phrase on what sparked the fire.
Meanwhile, firefighters have made vital progress towards a wildfire that started in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest.
The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Friday after burning about 7.5 sq. miles of forest.
The fire broke out July 7 and compelled the closure of the southern entrance to Yosemite and evacuation of the neighborhood of Wawona as it burned on the sting of Mariposa Grove, dwelling to a whole lot of big sequoias.
Wawona Road is tentatively set to reopen on Saturday, in line with the park web site.