State of Emergency Declared as Calif. Wildfire Explodes
Posted by feww on August 23, 2013
UPDATED Friday, 23 August 2013, 02:29UTC
Rim Fire Quadruples in Size
The blaze near Yosemite National Park had grown to about 100 square miles Thursday and was only 1 percent contained. The fire has so far destroyed at least two homes and seven outbuildings and threatens several thousand homes, hotels and camp buildings.
Fire from Hell
Night Photo of The Rim Fire. Photo credit: Stanislaus National Forest/USFS.
Gov. Brown Declares a State of emergency in Tuolumne County due to Rim Fire
California Gov. Brown has declared a state of emergency in Tuolumne County due to Rim Fire, one of 5 dozen major fires burning across the western U.S., including about 20 in California.
The emergency proclamation for Tuolumne County states that the massive fire has “damaged homes, and is threatening 2,500 other residences, necessitating the evacuation of residents, and the opening of emergency shelters.”
The fire has also forced thousands of tourists to leave the area during peak season.
Evacuations
The Tuolumne County Sheriffs Office has issued an evacuation order for residents north of Ferretti Road to Elderberry Road. An Evacuation Order is issued when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. Inciweb reported.
Rim Fire Photo 2. Photo credit: Stanislaus National Forest/USFS.
Earlier, the summer community of Pine Mountain Lake, home to about 3,000 people, and three campgrounds along Highway 120–Camp Towanga, Spinning Wheel and Sawmill campgrounds–were evacuated.
The fire started on Saturday August 17th, 2013, in Groveland Range District, Stanislaus National Forest, west of Yosemite. Some 1,849 personnel have been assigned to the blaze.
At least five other wildfires in Yellowstone National Park have consumed about 18 square miles.
“U.S. wildfire managers facing increasingly strained resources have opened talks with Pentagon commanders and Canadian officials about possible reinforcements of personnel and aircraft to battle dozens of blazes raging across the drought-parched American West,” said a report.
Fire Earth 
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