California Wild Fire

[The Stig]

Original Story HERE (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/25/20169597-harsh-dry-winds-hamper-moves-to-douse-monstrous-california-wildfire?lite) on nbcnews.com



Harsh, dry winds hamper moves to douse monstrous California wildfire

By Tracy Jarrett and Daniel Arkin, NBC News

A monstrous California wildfire that has charred an area roughly the size of Chicago was inching closer to the northwest flank of Yosemite National Park on Sunday, threatening thousands of rural homes, according to officials.

The massive blaze was also raging near two famed groves of towering sequoias that are among the largest and oldest living things on the planet. The trees can withstand fire, but brutal conditions — including harsh winds churning as much as 40 mph and thick brush — have prompted park employees to take extra precautions in the Tuolumne and Merced groves, according to The Associated Press.

“All of the plants and trees in Yosemite are important, but the giant sequoias are incredibly important both for what they are and as symbols of the National Park System,” park spokesman Scott Gediman told the AP on Saturday.

The so-called Rim Fire had grown to just over 200 square miles by early Sunday, looming ominously over more than 5,500 residences, with 23 structures, including four homes, already ravaged and burned, according to the AP. The fire also threatened the San Francisco power grid, but it remained some 150 miles outside the city Sunday, said Johnny Miller, a spokesman for CalFire.

“The wildfires that started in Tuolumne County have caused damage to electrical infrastructure serving the City and County of San Francisco, and now threaten damage to property, equipment, and resources of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department,” Gov. Jerry Brown said in issuing an emergency proclamation for the city on Friday.

San Francisco gets approximately 85 percent of its water supply from the Yosemite-area Hetch reservoir, just east of the fire, but as of Saturday there had been no reported blackouts or disturbances in water delivery.

“The fire is projected to have little or no effect on water infrastructure like O'Shaughnessy Dam because these assets are made of concrete and steel,” the Services of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission said in a statement.

Dry conditions and rugged terrain have contributed to the devastating wildfire in Northern Calif., which is being fought by more than 2700 firefighters, as dangerous winds are expected again Sunday.

Firefighters had managed to contain just seven percent of the blaze late Saturday, according to the AP. It was burning with such force that it created its own weather pattern, complicating all efforts to squash the blaze — and making it nearly impossible to predict which direction it will move, officials said.

“As the smoke column builds up it breaks down and collapses inside of itself, sending downdrafts and gusts that can go in any direction,” CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant told NBC Bay Area. “There’s a lot of potential for this one to continue to grow.”

The region’s steep, inaccessible terrain has also hindered firefighters and emergency crews, according to the AP.

Some 2,846 firefighters were facing down the flames Sunday, Miller said.

The fire was sparked last week in a remote canyon of the Stanislaus National Forest, with arid conditions feeding the flames.

"It feels a little bit like a war zone, with helicopters flying overhead, bombers dropping retardant and 10 engine companies stationed on our street," Ken Codeglia, a retired Pine Mountain Lake resident who decided to stay to protect his house with his own hoses and fire retardant system, told the Associated Press. "But if the fire gets very hot and firefighters evacuate, I will run with them."

The Rim Fire continues to burn out of control and threatens 4,500 homes outside of Yosemite National Park.

As of Saturday, Gov. Brown had secured federal financial assistance to help ensure that resources will be available to continue battling the blaze.

“Current wildfire activity throughout the state has stretched out own resources, and those of our partners. This funding is critical to ensure local and state firefighters have the tools that they need to get the job done,” California Officer of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci said in a statement Saturday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds will allow for a 75 percent federal cost-share reimbursement for the total firefighting expenditures. The remaining 25 percent will be left to local jurisdictions, according to a press release from Cal-EMA.

It was not immediately clear Sunday what the total cost of dousing the fire will be.

While some surrounding highways have been closed due to the wildfire, Yosemite National Park remains open, according to the National Park Service website. However, the massive fire threatens the park’s pristine beauty and has caused a hit to summer tourism.

"Usually during summer, it's swamped with tourists, you can't find parking downtown,” local resident Christina Wilkinson told NBC News Bay Area. "Now, the streets are empty. All we see is firefighters, emergency personnel and fire trucks.''

Officials issued a voluntary evacuation orders to the towns of Tuolumne City and Ponderosa Hills, Forest Service spokesman Jerry Snyder said on Friday. Those orders remained in flux on Saturday.

A mandatory evacuation order remained in effect for part of Pine Mountain Lake, a summer gated community a few miles from the fire.

Jeff Black of NBC News contributed to this report.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/23/20152653-emergency-in-san-francisco-as-wildfire-threatens-citys-power-grid?lite) on nbcnews.com


Emergency in San Francisco as wildfire threatens city's power grid

The Rim Fire has already charred more than 106,000 acres and is growing every minute. More than 2,000 firefighters are attempting to contain the out-of-control fire, but they're losing ground. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.

An out-of-control wildfire leapt across the boundaries of Yosemite National Park on Friday as more than 2,100 fire personnel worked to contain the Northern California blaze, the latest of the major wildfires to sweep the country in recent weeks.

The Rim Fire had burned more than 125,620 acres by Friday night, after having nearly doubled in size overnight. The fire has destroyed 16 structures and caused one injury as it burned in Stanislaus National Forest, according to an incident report. More than 2,100 responders were battling the blaze, which was just 2 percent contained.

On Friday, California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Francisco, some 150 miles away from the blaze, because the raging inferno threatened the city's power infrastructure, NBC Bay Area reported. Two of three hydroelectric plants in the area had to be shut down because of the fire.

Officials issued new voluntary evacuation orders for the towns of Tuolumne City and Ponderosa Hills, both about 5 miles from the fire line, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jerry Snyder said. A mandatory evacuation order remained in effect for part of Pine Mountain Lake, a summer gated community a few miles from the fire.

Although Pine Mountain Lake and other communities are threatened, within Yosemite the blaze is burning in a remote area and is not threatening the famed Yosemite Valley, the Forest Service said, according to NBC Bay Area.

A deep surge of tropical moisture is heading into the West, but it won't drench the heart of the fire zone. The storms are expected to create a flood threat in areas that rarely see so much rain. Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore reports.

The fire licked the western boundaries of Yosemite National Park on Thursday and swept away gains firefighters had made to bring the fire to 5 percent containment Wednesday.

Brown declared an emergency in Tuolumne County on Thursday, as costs fighting the fire hit $5.4 million. The rugged terrain consumed by the fire made it difficult for firefighters to drag in their gear, a Forest Service spokesman said.

"The terrain is so difficult that you can't go into direct attack," Forest Service spokesman Trevor Augustino said, according to Reuters.

Crews facing the sprawling flames faced smoke exposure and the potential for injury as the fire skipped across the steep territory, according to an incident report.

Los Angeles County firefighters hiked in on a fire line on the Rim Fire near Groveland, Calif., on Thursday..

"The biggest challenge is the fire itself," Lee Bentley, a spokesperson with the forest service, told NBC Bay Area. "It’s just too doggone dangerous."

The quick-spreading fire is the fourth-largest in the nation, National Interagency Fire Center spokeswoman Robyn Broyles told Reuters, one of 50 large blazes burning in the Western states. The Rim Fire has grown faster than any other, she said.

Among the buildings destroyed were two homes, Reuters reported. Two evacuation centers have been set up, Augustino told Reuters, as residents in about 2,500 homes had been advised to evacuate.

Firefighter Dave Beck rakes embers away from a road Thursday while fighting the Rim Fire near Buck Meadows, Calif.

"There are a lot of little pockets of residences throughout this area," Augustino said, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, the massive Beaver Creek Fire in Idaho was nearly contained, but not before it drove tourists from the ski retreat town of Sun Valley, the AP reported.

"We have a lot of customers who can go anywhere they want to," said Todd Van Bramer, a resident of nearby Ketchum, according to the AP. "They don't have to come to Idaho if it's burning. They can go to Montana, Colorado or Wyoming at the drop of a hat."

More than $1 billion has been spent overall this year fighting wildfires in Oregon, Montana, and Idaho, the Associated Press reported.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://news.sky.com/story/1133254/rim-fire-san-francisco-power-under-threat)at skynews





Rim Fire: San Francisco Power Under Threat

A state of emergency is declared as one of the state's worst ever fires threatens to cripple the city's power and water.
10:57am UK, Monday 26 August 2013

Water and electricity supplies to San Francisco are under threat as hundreds of firefighters battle one of California's worst ever wildfires.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Francisco as the blaze, known as the Rim Fire, threatens power lines to the city and a key reservoir which supplies 85% of its water.

The Hetch Hetchy reservoir is under serious threat with the fire just four miles away. It provides water to 2.6 million people.

The 2,800 firefighters battling the blaze have gained little ground in slowing the now 225-square-mile fire. Officials estimate it is just 7% contained.

Hundreds of those firefighters have been deployed to protect mountain communities in the path of the Rim Fire, north of Yosemite National Park, as fierce winds causes flames to jump through tree tops.

Bulldozers are being used to clear lines on the north side of the fire to protect the towns of Twain Hart., Tuolumne City and Ponderosa Hills.

Twelve helicopters and six planes are dropping water and retardant from the air.
Wildfire reaches Yosemite National Park Some 2,800 firefighters have been battling the blaze

Daniel Berlant, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said: "A crown fire is much more difficult to fight.

"Our firefighters are on the ground having to spray up.

"Unfortunately, we are expecting strong winds out of the south. It's going to allow the fire to advance to the northeast.

"This fire has continued to pose every challenge that there can be on a fire: inaccessible terrain, strong winds, dry conditions. It's a very difficult fire fight."

Investigators are trying to determine how the fire started on August 17, days before lightning storms swept through the region and sparked other blazes.

The Rim Fire has threatened two groves of giant sequoias, which are unique to the region.

The towering trees, which grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and are among the largest and oldest living things on earth, can resist fire.

But dry conditions and heavy brush are forcing park officials to take extra precautions in the Tuolumne and Merced groves.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23829047) at bbcnews



California Rim Fire showers ash on reservoir

A huge fire in and around California's Yosemite National Park has continued to spread and now covers almost 230 sq miles (600 sq km), officials say.

The Rim Fire is now raining ash on a key reservoir that supplies water and hydro-electric power to San Francisco.

City officials say they are moving water to lower reservoirs and monitoring supplies for contamination.

The blaze is also threatening thousands of homes and some of California's renowned giant sequoia trees.

On Monday officials said the fire was 15% contained after burning for more than a week - up from 2% containment on Friday.

Strong winds are making the fires more difficult to control.

"This fire has continued to pose every challenge that there can be on a fire," said Daniel Berlant of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The blaze began on 17 August in the Stanislaus National Forest but the cause is still unknown.

Trevor Augustine from Unified Rim Fire Command Group outlines the conditions facing fire crews
Water threatened

Some 2,800 firefighters are tackling the flames in difficult terrain.

Evacuations, some voluntary and some mandatory, are taking place. Despite the threat to some 5,000 homes, only a few have been destroyed.

California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for San Francisco 150 miles (220km) away as the blaze is also threatening power lines that bring electricity to the city.

Ash is said to be falling like snow on the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which supplies San Francisco with 85% of its water. Visibility in the smoke-ridden area is down to 100ft (30m), but officials say the water quality is still good.

"The water we are receiving is still of good quality,'' said Harlan Kelly Jr, general manager of the city's Public Utilities Commission.

"We're bringing down as much water as possible and replenishing all of the local reservoirs."
Continue reading the main story

Two of three hydroelectric power stations serving the city were shut down, forcing the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to spend $600,000 (£385,000) buying power on the open market.

The blaze reached the park's backcountry at Lake Eleanor on Friday. But it remains some 20 miles away from Yosemite's main tourist area.

The park authorities say they have no plans to close the attraction as most of Yosemite, which hosts up to 15,000 visitors a day in the summer, is unaffected by the fire.

Areas on the north-western edge of the park, including that round the Hetch Hetchy reservoir and Lake Eleanor, have been closed throughout the week.

A stretch of motorway, Highway 120, which is one of three entrances to the west side of the park, remains closed. Visitors are being urged to use alternative routes from the west.

The Rim Fire is one of 50 major wildfires burning in the western US. Lack of rain and snow have made it a bad year, with 5,700 fires being tackled so far.

The Beaver Creek fire in Idaho has destroyed some 45,000 hectares near the ski resort of Sun Valley.

Meanwhile, five wildfires in Yellowstone National Park have scorched about 18 sq miles of mostly remote areas.

[MegaCPC]

Some friends of mine in Tahoe said they were getting quite a bit of smoke. Pretty damn big fire.

Here's some pics I've pulled off the web.

From a plane:

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb146/megacpc/fire_zps08879e97.jpg (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/megacpc/media/fire_zps08879e97.jpg.html)

Sat imagery from a few days ago:

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb146/megacpc/satimage_zps933118f7.jpg (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/megacpc/media/satimage_zps933118f7.jpg.html)

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb146/megacpc/satimage2_zps7dc1afad.jpg (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/megacpc/media/satimage2_zps7dc1afad.jpg.html)

Notice Lake Tahoe top center of the third pic.

- - - Updated - - -

Here's an aerial video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_eGiGG1B-Q

[bacpacker]

Im not so sure I would want to be Lake Tahoe for the next bit. A buddy of runs the eastern district of the State Forestry department here. They send crews out west most every summer. I bet they are close to maxed out this year between these fires and the ones in Idaho.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/30/yosemite-wildfire-puts-some-holiday-tourists-in-quandary/)at Foxnews



Yosemite wildfire puts some holiday tourists in quandary
Published August 30, 2013
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The huge Sierra Nevada wildfire and its smoke plume have caused some fearful tourists to opt out of plans for the last big travel weekend of the summer, but most appear intent to go through with vacations to destinations such as Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe.

Those who keep their hard-to-get Labor Day lodging reservations in Yosemite will enjoy a pleasant surprise: stunning views of the towering granite icons Half Dome and El Capitan with less of the usual holiday congestion.

The park has seen some reservation cancellations and some nearby mountain communities have had a serious drop-off in business due to the 311-square-mile Rim Fire, which was 33 percent contained late Thursday. More than 20,000 acres of the fire are along the northern edge of the 750,000-acre national park.

But 20 miles upwind in Yosemite Valley, the sky is clear and not even the scent of smoke is in the air.

Park officials expect about 3,000 cars a day to pass through gates this weekend instead of the nearly 5,000 that might typically show on the holiday. Most of the missing will be day tourists, not folks who have waited months and even years for a campsite along the Merced River or a room at the historic Ahwahnee Lodge.

"We've had minimal cancellations, and when we do we fill them immediately," said park spokesman Scott Gediman. "The campsites are full and there are plenty of people, but because of the publicity we're slower."

It's a familiar pattern of panic, cancellation and rebooking in the rugged national park that has been shaped by all manner of disaster. In years past, when boulders tumbling from 3,000-foot granite monoliths have sent tourists scrambling, or when a mouse-borne illness killed tent cabin guests, cancellations poured in.

But the park never has enough lodging for the 4 million tourists who visit annually, so vacant rooms rarely go unfilled for long.

That's not the case in nearby Groveland, a scenic Gold Rush community along a road that carries 2.2 million cars into the park every year. Early on, fire tore along Highway 120, forcing its closure and cutting off the town's lifeblood.

Since then, the historic hamlet has been the dateline on scores of ominous news stories describing the inferno that has long since chewed its way north. The notoriety has taken a toll.

"I laid off all my girls" Wednesday, said Laura Jensen, owner of the Firefall Coffee Roasting Co. "This has totally drained us. It's like winter when we slow down and take care of the locals, but this should be our busiest time of the year."

The Iron Door Saloon, which calls itself the oldest in California, also laid off employees this week, as did the Hotel Charlotte, a 1920s boutique hotel on Main Street.

"I've had $20,000 worth of cancellations in the past few days," said Doug Edwards, who owns the hotel with his wife, Jen. "It's fear-driven. People don't want to drive on a road that looks like Hiroshima or Nagasaki."

Making matters worse for Groveland was Thursday's fire-forced cancellation of the Strawberry Music Festival, which draws 20,000 bluegrass lovers to town every Labor Day weekend.

"We're coming into the crescendo of our season," Edwards said. "Our hotel should be completely full."

The impact is being felt as far north as Lake Tahoe, where thick smoke settled this week in the alpine basin that draws outdoor enthusiast from around the world, affecting everything from hotel reservations to bicycle rentals.

The sky was clear Thursday, but tourists had yet to come back.

"It has dropped off drastically the past week," said Travis McCoy of Camp Richardson Mountain Sports Center on the lake's south shore. His usual rental income of up to $3,000 daily has fallen to less than $500.

Some hotels and motels at South Lake Tahoe were experiencing as much as a 10 percent to 20 percent drop in business, with less of an impact at larger hotel-casino properties, said Carol Chaplin, executive director Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. But she said there were signs of improvement as the holiday weekend neared.

"We've got blue skies. We've got the lake back. It's the best it has been in a week," she said.

Harrah's Lake Tahoe fielded some weekend cancelations, but not an unusually large number, spokesman John Packer said Thursday.

"It's a vast improvement this morning — just a huge improvement — particularly compared to Tuesday when it was one of the thicker days," said Packer, who noted that 6,000 tickets have been sold for a Friday night outdoor concert by Brad Paisley.

Air quality also showed some improvement along the Eastern Sierra just east of Lake Tahoe and in Reno, Nev.

At least 31 wildfires are burning in eight Western states, and only two are contained.

The Rim Fire started Aug. 17 and quickly became the sixth-largest California wildfire on record. Its progression slowed earlier this week but it will burn for months.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/30/yosemite-wildfire-puts-some-holiday-tourists-in-quandary/#ixzz2dSf1Xc7l

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/31/progress-made-against-yosemite-wildfire-but-smoke-spreads/?test=latestnews) at Foxnews


Massive Yosemite blaze may have been sparked by illegal marijuana growers
Published August 31, 2013
FoxNews.com

The massive forest fire that has scorched 333 square miles in and around Yosemite National Park may have been sparked by illegal marijuana growers, according to one fire official in Tuolumne County.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that Todd McNeal, chief of the Twain Harte Fire Department, told a community meeting that it was "highly suspect that there might have been some sort of illicit grove, a marijuana-grow-type thing."

McNeal, who has 23 years of experience with Forest Service, the National Park Service and other agencies, said at the Aug. 23 meeting that investigators know the fire is human caused since there was know lightening in the area.

The fire started Aug. 17 and its exact cause remains under investigation. It is expected to keep burning long after it is fully contained, and recovery will be extensive. Some 7,000 damaged trees next to power lines will need to be removed by utility crews and 800 guardrail posts will need to be replaced on Route 120, a fire fact sheet said.

Nearly a third of the blaze was contained Friday and some small communities in the mountainous area were no longer under evacuation advisories, but smoke descending down into San Joaquin Valley cities was becoming a problem.

In a sign of progress, a few dozen firefighters were released and more could be sent home in coming days, said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. More than 4,800 firefighters remained on the scene late Friday.

"We continue to gain the upper hand, but there's still a lot of work to be done," Berlant said.

The 2-week-old blaze burning in the Sierra Nevada northeast of Fresno has grown to become the largest U.S. wildfire to date this year and the fifth-largest wildfire in modern California records. Containment was estimated at 35 percent.

Winds had been blowing dense smoke plumes northeast into the Lake Tahoe area and Nevada but a shift Friday brought them west down to the San Joaquin Valley floor.

Regional air pollution control authorities issued a health caution for San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno and Tulare counties. Residents who see or smell smoke were urged to stay inside, especially people with heart of lung problems, older adults and children.

Evacuation advisories were lifted Thursday in Tuolumne City, Soulsbyville and Willow Springs but remained in place for other communities, and evacuations were still mandatory along the fire's southeastern edge.

About 75 square miles of the fire are inside Yosemite but at some distance from the national park's major attractions, including glacially carved Yosemite Valley's granite monoliths and towering waterfalls.

Park officials expect about 3,000 cars a day to pass through gates during the long Labor Day holiday weekend instead of the nearly 5,000 that might typically show. The fire has caused some people to cancel reservations in the park but those vacancies have been quickly filled, officials said.

"Valley campgrounds are still full and skies in Yosemite Valley are crystal clear," said park spokeswoman Kari Cobb.

A 4-mile stretch of State Route 120, one of three western entrances into Yosemite, remained closed, hurting tourism-dependent businesses in communities along the route.

Costs reached $47 million, including firefighters from 41 states and the District of Columbia and significant aviation resources including helicopters, a DC-10 jumbo jet and military aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne FireFighting System. Aircraft have dropped 1.7 million gallons of retardant and 1.4 million gallons of water.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/31/progress-made-against-yosemite-wildfire-but-smoke-spreads/?test=latestnews#ixzz2dav6d585


A reminder that a SHTF event could effect you that began due to the action of some shitheads in your area. Do you know who the shitheads in your area are?

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_23992231/rim-fire-smoke-covers-yosemite-valley-fire-becomes) at the San Jose Mercury News



Rim Fire: Smoke covers Yosemite Valley as fire becomes 4th-largest wildfire in California history

By Robert Salonga
rsalonga@mercurynews.com

Posted: 08/31/2013 07:56:42 PM PDT | Updated: about 7 hours ago

The Rim Fire became the fourth-largest wildfire in the history of California as it continued its steady burn Saturday, as smoke from the blaze for the first time darkened the sky over the Yosemite Valley, forcing many holiday vacationers indoors.

According to the statewide firefighting agency Cal Fire, 348 square miles have been scorched. At least 111 structures have been destroyed, but no one has been killed or seriously injured in the blaze, which is the largest wildfire burning in the country.

By last measure, the fire that has burned an area the size of Dallas was 40 percent contained with the help of more than 5,000 firefighters from state, federal and local agencies. Authorities said fresh firefighters
This Friday, Aug. 30, 2013 image provided by the U.S. Forest Service shows a member of the BLM Silver State Hotshot crew using a drip torch to set back fires on the southern flank of the Rim Fire in California. The blaze has scorched 343 square miles of brush, oaks and pines and 11 homes, as of Saturday Aug. 31, 2013. ((AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service) )
were being brought in to replace tired crews, but that officials did not plan to reduce the number of personnel assigned to the fire.

The Labor Day weekend is historically a boon for Yosemite National Park as patrons flood the park before the school year begins and colder weather settles in. But the smoke has hampered the getaway vibe.

"I'm in Yosemite Valley right now, and I cannot see the cliffs around me," said Kari Cobb, a park spokeswoman. "The wind has shifted, and smoke is impacting the entire park. We have been lucky until now."

All the campgrounds in the valley still were full as of Saturday morning despite the thick blanket of smoke and the burning smell that permeated the area, Cobb said.

One vacationer staying in the historic Wawona Hotel, four miles from the park's south entrance, called himself "a prisoner in the hotel" because of the invading smoke and partial road closures put in place earlier in the week.

The occupant, who asked not to be named because of privacy concerns, said it was clear as of Friday evening and that it "turned overnight," with haze turning the sun orange and light ash visibly falling in the air.

Smoke from the blaze has drifted at least 2,500 miles, reaching Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and the Great Lakes. Overnight into Saturday, the Rim Fire surpassed the area burned by the 1932 Matilija Fire in Ventura County, which burned 220,000 acres.

At least 94 square miles of wilderness have burned in the northern section of Yosemite. Firefighting aircraft remained grounded because of low visibility caused by the smoke, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Mark Healey said.

Officials were concerned about a 150-acre spot fire that crossed a road and prompted an evacuation order for homes near the west entrance of Yosemite, Healey said.

Mandatory evacuations remain in effect south of Highway 120 and north Old Yosemite Road, while evacuations of areas surrounding Bull Creek Road to Grizzly Mountain have been lifted.

About 4,500 structures are still threatened east and west of the fire, which is expected to continue spreading east into the west side of Yosemite National Park east of Aspen Valley, according to a bulletin from Cal Fire and the Forest Service.

"Steep terrain and extreme fire behavior" are slowing firefighters' progress, along with hot, dry weather forecasted for the coming week. Authorities said as a result they have become reliant on air tankers and drone planes to both fight and give them eyes on the flames. They have moved back the tentative fire containment date to Oct. 20.

The blaze's cause is under investigation, though the Twain Harte fire chief suggested at an Aug. 23 community meeting that it likely stemmed from an illegal marijuana growing operation, which are common in secluded forest areas. The area where the fire started is roughly 10 miles west of the Yosemite National Park entrance on Highway 120 and 8 miles east of the town of Groveland -- a rugged, steep expanse of dense wilderness.

Officials have not made any formal statement about the cause of the fire.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.