In just one week the blaze has exploded to 135,000 acres and the smoke is affecting more than 200 square miles.
By Tracy Jarrett and Daniel Arkin, NBC News
A California wildfire that has charred an area roughly the size of Chicago near Yosemite National Park has the potential to grow in an “extreme” way, officials warned late Sunday.
The so-called “Rim Fire” has scorched almost 134,000 acres since Aug. 17. In an update posted online Sunday night, authorities warned that the blaze was expected to continue to “exhibit very large fire growth due to extremely dry fuels and inaccessible terrain.”
The flames had consumed 15,000 acres within Yosemite by Sunday afternoon, up from just over 12,000 acres in the morning, park spokesman Tom Medema told Reuters.
The Associated Press reported that firefighters were hoping to advance on the flames Monday but strong winds were threatening push the blaze closer to Tuolumne City and nearby communities.
“This fire has continued to pose every challenge that there can be on a fire,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Almost 3,000 firefighters have been drafted in to tackle the fire that continues to threaten thousands of rural homes and remained only seven percent contained late Sunday, according to inciweb.
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Dry conditions fuel blazes in the U.S.
More than 12 helicopters and a half-dozen fixed wing tankers were dropping water and retardant from the air.
The fire was threatening power and water supplies to San Francisco, about 200 miles to the west.
California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday declared a state of emergency for San Francisco, saying the fire had damaged the electrical infrastructure serving the city and forced the Public Utilities Commission to shut down power lines.
On Sunday, the fire moved to within 2 miles of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which serves 85 percent of San Francisco with water, according to San Francisco Public Utilities Commission spokesman Tyrone Jue.
Flames were 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.
NBC Bay Area reported that the Berkeley Tuolumne Family Camp had been destroyed by flames. It said staff and campers were evacuated beforehand and no injuries were reported. The camp dates to 1922.
NBC Los Angeles noted that the incident was closing in on the record-breaking 145,000-acre wildfire that burned over a three-week period in 1987. At close to 225 square miles, the blaze is more than four times the size of San Francisco.
The fire was sparked last week in a remote canyon of the Stanislaus National Forest, with arid conditions feeding the flames.
Statewide, more than 8,300 firefighters are battling nearly 400 square miles of fires.
NBC News’ Henry Austin and Jeff Black, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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This story was originally published on Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:51 AM EDT
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