SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – As California's largest active wildfire nears full containment in Yosemite National Park, a quickly growing fire burning near the park's western edge has led to evacuations.
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The Oak Fire burned 1,600 acres just shy of four hours after it started burning at 2 p.m. on Friday, CAL FIRE officials said in a 7:28 p.m. update. It was 0% contained as of that time, prompting a number of evacuation orders in Mariposa County.
As of 8:10 a.m. on Saturday the Oak Fire has burned 6,555 acres and is 0% contained, CALFIRE reported. Ten structures have been destroyed and five more are damaged, CAL FIRE said.
Evacuations expanded throughout the afternoon and into the early evening on Friday, extending to the Lushmeadows area, which officials said was one of the "most densely populated communities" in the small county of about 17,000.
Evacuations have been updated to as north as Mariposa Pines and as south as Bootjack, Mariposa County tweeted.
It's unclear what caused the fire, which started burning at Highway 140 and Carstens Road near Midpines.
The blaze burned about 17 miles from the Washburn Fire, a nearly 5,000-acre fire on Yosemite's southern side that officials said was 79% contained as of Friday morning. The park's southern entrance is set to reopen this weekend for the first time since the fire prompted its closure on July 11, and evacuated residents returned to their homes earlier this week.
The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office has set up an Oak Fire evacuation center at New Life Christian Church on 5089 Cole Road in Bootjack.
Governor Newson announced on Saturday that California has received a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help combat the Oak Fire in Mariposa County.
The grant enables local, state and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75-percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs, the Governor's Office said in a press release. The Governor's Office of Emergency Service will distribute financial help to communities impacted by fires.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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