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.
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