largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2000 homes and businesses.
Evacuation orders were put in effect on Saturday for over 6000 people living across an 11-kilometre span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.Firefighters work to keep the Oak Fire from reaching a home in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday, July 23, 2022.
More than 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, along with helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included hot weather, low humidity and bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades, Patterson said. The blaze prompted numerous road closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road - blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite.Flames consume a home on Triangle Rd. as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday, July 23, 2022.
“The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday,” Patterson said.Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2600 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored.A firefighter extinguishes flames as the Oak Fire crosses Darrah Rd. in Mariposa County, Calif., on Friday, July 22, 2022.
He was safely driven from the area and did not appear to suffer any injuries. Several other residents stayed in their homes on Friday night as the fire burned nearby.