Thousands ordered to flee California wildfire near Yosemite

There is a town in California called WaWONA. Thousands of people were ordered to leave their homes on Saturday as a fast-burning brush fire exploded into one of the state's largest fires of the year.

The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines and by Saturday morning it had grown to over 20 square miles. The fire started as firefighters made progress against the earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias.

Over 6,000 people were ordered to leave their homes in the Sierra National Forest on Saturday.

The Oak Fire's activity is extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching.

The fire destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures, damaged five others and was threatening 2,000 more structures by Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire. Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road was closed due to the fire.

The fire was in a rural area of the Sierra Nevada foothills and was fought by more than 400 firefighters.

The fire was caused by hot weather, low humidity, and bone dry vegetation, which made it difficult for fire crews to fight it. Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years, which has led to larger and deadlier fires in California. According to scientists, the weather will be more extreme and the fires more frequent.

There is a fire. The fire was burning for up to 2 miles. The fire conditions are exceptional. There was a fire.

As of Friday afternoon, more than 2,600 homes and businesses in the area were without power, and there was no indication when it would be restored. The utility couldn't access the equipment.

A shoeless older man trying to escape the fire crashed his car into a ditch and was helped by firefighters. He did not appear to have suffered any injuries when he was driven away. Several people stayed in their homes as the fire raged nearby.

Firefighters have made progress against a fire that started in the national park and burned into the forest.

The fire burned approximately 19 square kilometers of forest. The Lost Lake Fire, which was fully contained in June, was one of the biggest fires of the year.

The community of Wawona, home to hundreds of giant sequoias, was evacuated and the southern entrance to the park was closed because of the fire.

The park website says that Wawona Road will reopen on Saturday.

That's right.

The person contributed from San Francisco.