SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite National Park has grown significantly to over 700 acres, fire officials reported Saturday morning.
The fire grew about 300 acres in the one day since evacuations began. More than 200 fire personnel are working to put out the flames, with more expected to arrive in the coming days.
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 wrap on Friday to preserve them and prevent them from burning.
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.
A fire shelter has been set up at the New Life Church located 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.
———
