Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite tops 1,000 acres. More firefighting resources on the way
More on the Washburn wildfire: Inside Yosemite National Park, scary sights and hopeful signs seen amid the Washburn Fire
The Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite National Park continued to grow significantly late Friday and into early Saturday night, first to over 700 acres and then to more than 1,000 while remaining 0% contained, fire officials reported.
The fire grew about 300 acres in the one day since evacuations began, reaching 700 acres by a Saturday morning update. A report issued just before 5 p.m. put the total at 1,190.
More than 500 fire personnel are working to put out the flames, with more expected to arrive in the coming days. Firefighters worked through the night to contain the blaze, and air and ground resources are still being used to suppress the fire.
The fire broke out Thursday afternoon near the Washburn Trail near Mariposa Grove, home to about 500 giant sequoia trees and the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite. The grove, located in the southern part of Yosemite, was evacuated and remains temporarily closed.
Crews began to wrap some of the trees with foil on Friday to preserve them and prevent them from burning. Fire crews also removed hazardous brush that would act as fuel and installed temporary sprinkler systems. Foil wrap was also used on the historic Galen Clark cabin.
The fire is fueled by a significant amount of dead and down trees, incident officials said. Weather conditions in the coming days are expected to be hot and dry in the area. So far, fire behavior has been moderate, according to Yosemite Fire updates. One of the concerns is long-range spotting — when embers are carried far downwind starting new spot fires.
About 700 people were forced to evacuate the community of Wawona and Wawona campground Friday afternoon. The southern entrance on Highway 41 into Yosemite National Park was closed Friday. Yosemite West remains accessible from the northern side of the Wawona road.
A fire shelter has been set up at the New Life Church at 5089 Cole Road in Mariposa, park officials said in a news release.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. It is 0% contained, as of 7 p.m. Saturday.
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This story was originally published July 9, 2022 at 9:22 AM.