Wildfire Near Yosemite National Park Goes Out Of Control

A wildfire near the Yosemite National Park went out of control and threatens to burn 500 homes near the foothills of the park and has triggered thirteen thousand evacuation orders and prompted the Madera county sheriff to declare a local emergency.

The fast moving fire had burned a thousand and two acres and was zero percent containment overnight, driving local school officials to close five campuses Tuesday.

The fire around Madera County community of Oakhurst remained at a little under 2 square miles on Tuesday. The fire destroyed eight structures, including two commercial buildings and is threatening about five hundred homes around Oakhurst, which is about sixteen miles from the Yosemite entrance. Two firefighters reportedly suffered from minor injuries. 

The wildfire started Monday and was driven by breezy winds and dry bush. The cause of the wildfire is still being investigated.

A road leading to the park for the visitors and tourists was reopened Tuesday, and the park remained unaffected by the wildfire.

Firefighters from throughout California were posted Tuesday to protect homes exposed by the out-of-control wildfire. The fire was wind dominated was hard to be contained.

As per Clement Williams, a sixty-seven year old resident said that there is nothing you can do when a fire is raging you just has to run away. It's a real plunging feeling.

Clement Williams and his wife Gretchen, 63, were trying to get information on the status of the fire and their home from the authorities. The couple spent the night in a nearby hotel.

In California, the fire comes in the midst of its third straight year of drought, making tinder-dry surroundings thus considerably increasing the fire danger around the state.

On Tuesday, the firefighters were able to stop the growth of the wild fire some 50 miles northeast of Bakersfield.

The wildfire scorching near Lake Isabella in Kern County grew exponentially Monday, but was five percent contained Tuesday after burning some 5 square miles, or 3,367 acres.

Some buildings and homes were burned, but it wasn't immediately clear how many or how much the cost of all the reported damaged properties caused by the wildfire near Yosemite.

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