Newsom declares emergency for Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park
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Cal Fire reported that the Oak Fire now reaches nearly 12,000 acres with 0 percent containment. More than 6,000 residents have been evacuated
The Oak Wildfire, in California's Mariposa County and about 30 miles from Yosemite National Park, exploded in size Saturday to 11,900 acres and became one of California's largest wildfires of the year , prompting evacuation orders. for thousands of people and cut power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.
The officially named Oak Fire began Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and had grown to nearly 19 square miles (48 square kilometers) by Saturday, according to the Department of Forestry and Protection. Cal Fire, as firefighters advanced against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a giant sequoia grove in Yosemite National Park.
Raw video from destructive #OakFire burning in #MariposaCounty. Fire has burned 6,550 acres as of Saturday morning and destroyed 10 structures https://t.co/Hy5AtietEy pic.twitter.com/YUYzI7c2IT
— KPIX 5 (@KPIXtv) July 23, 2022
Evacuation orders went into effect Saturday for more than 6,000 people who live in a stretch of several miles in the sparsely populated rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.
The California governor has declared a state of emergency over the Mariposa County fire, his office said in a statement . The California Governor's Office reported that the state obtained a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the Oak fire.
Today, @CAgovernor proclaimed a state of emergency for #MariposaCounty due to the #OakFire, which has destroyed homes, threatened critical infrastructure & forced evacuations. This action helps draw down additional resources to help local residents. https://t.co/6rlI0g6qwm pic.twitter.com/bVlo6isKmz
— California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (@Cal_OES) July 24, 2022
“Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters,” Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday, describing fire activity as "extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group fires."
The fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged 5 more . Another 200 structures are threatened, according to CalFire.
The fast-growing fire prompted Caltrans to order numerous road closures, including the closure of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road, blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite National Park.
#TrafficAlert
— Caltrans District 10 (@CaltransDist10) July 22, 2022
SR-140 currently is closed between Carstens Road and Allred Road in Midpines (Mariposa County) due to the Oak Fire. For more information: https://t.co/XDM49zDsCb.
For road information, check https://t.co/7koCcoZm3Z.
Please avoid the area! pic.twitter.com/NDonubqLre
More than 400 firefighters in a unified command battle to control the flames from the ground and from the air, racing against time as the fire burns dangerously close to homes and buildings.
The causes of the fire are not yet known.
The Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at Mariposa Elementary School. All residents and first responders who were at New Life Christian Church have been relocated to the elementary school. Evacuees receive safe shelter, water, meals, and other resources.