SEE IT: Wildfires Force Massive Evacuation of Yosemite Park
Out west, as a major drought continues to turn soil to dust and forest to ash, a major humanitarian evacuation is underway.
Just a few weeks after massive floods forced the temporary closure of one of Yellowstone National Park’s northern entrances, a massive wildfire has begun to engulf Yosemite National Park – another of our country’s crown jewels of outdoor recreation.
Now, with the blazes beginning to overwhelm the efforts of firefighters, thousands of residents have had to be swiftly evacuated from the area.
A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park has exploded in size into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.
The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County, and by Sunday morning had grown to 14,281 acres with no containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.
The operation was enormous:
Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.
Images of the devastation were prevalent online.
Smoke clogs the sky above California as the Oak Fire rages, burning more than 14,000 acres in central California and prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to proclaim a state of emergency. https://t.co/5W0h50pgi9 pic.twitter.com/vchhUcHOca
— ABC News (@ABC) July 24, 2022
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California declared a state of emergency in Mariposa County as the Oak fire has more than tripled in size since Friday night, threatening thousands of structures and forcing the evacuations of 3,000 residents. https://t.co/PmoClFnEvM pic.twitter.com/5GGMa4ONJ4
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 24, 2022
Hundreds of firefighters are battling a fast-moving fire burning near Yosemite National Park in California. A mandatory evacuation order was issued as the Oak Fire quickly exploded to thousands of acres, according to state fire officials. https://t.co/GP1szQRLsC pic.twitter.com/JMw1QUhO0L
— ABC News (@ABC) July 24, 2022
#OakFire as seen from Jerseydale area yesterday pic.twitter.com/wfLdeDXBhI
— Christine Warren BSN, RN (@loverofliberals) July 23, 2022
California has been widely criticized for its forest management abilities, as debris from the forest floor continues to provide ample fuel for these overwhelming fires.
