Crews working to corral the massive wildfire searing the edge of Yosemite National Park made major gains on the blaze overnight and were anticipating additional advances on Monday with the help of cooler temperatures and higher humidity, officials said.
The fire was 60 percent contained as of Monday morning, up from 45 percent Sunday night, according to California fire officials. The blaze also grew about 9 square miles and now covers more than 357 square miles. It has now consumed 231,000 acres.
Full containment is not expected until Sept. 20.
Mandatory evacuations remain in effect for some south of Highway 120 and Tioga Road west of Yosemite Creek Picnic Area is closed.
Crews will continue building fire lines and burning away the fire’s potential fuel sources on Monday.
“We do have a nice window here of more cooperative weather,” state fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.
Gusty winds and dryer conditions are expected midweek, however, again raising the fire danger, Berlant said.
Wind shifts on Friday dumped smoke into the Yosemite Valley, which appeared hazy with decreased visibility on video streaming from webcams in the park. Another shift in the wind is expected Monday or Tuesday, which should help clear the smoke out of the area, park ranger Kari Cobb said.
There has been a noticeable decline in visitors to the park, she said, partly because of the fire’s smoke but also because of road closures in the park.
Park officials are advising visitors to avoid strenuous activity, and for those sensitive to smoke to avoid being outside.
The blaze started Aug. 17 in the Stanislaus National Forest and two-thirds of the land burned since then is located there as well. The cause is being investigated. About 4,500 structures are threatened.
The fire — the fourth largest in California history — has claimed 111 structures, 11 of them homes. A September 1932 fire in Ventura County that burned 343 square miles previously held the spot, Cal Fire said.
About 5,000 firefighters are battling the flames, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Battling the blaze has so far cost $60 million in state and federal funds.
Six other fires are burning in California, down from about a dozen last week, with more than 8,000 firefighting personnel deployed across the state, Berlant said. Recent weeks have seen an increase in fire activity, he said, because of dry conditions, gusty winds and dry lightning that sparked several hundred fires.
Fire officials are advising those camping over Labor Day weekend to be cautious and aware of fire restrictions when lighting campfires.
Some fire crews are being released as they reach the end of their two-week assignments, but reinforcements will be brought in as needed. Many are local forces and are likely to be back after a few days of rest if they’re still needed.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the Rim fire.
Todd McNeal, a fire chief in Twain Harte, told a community meeting that an illegal marijuana-growing operation could have sparked the fire, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
The fire has forced the shutdown of two of three hydroelectric power station transmission lines that carry power to the San Francisco area. Supplementary power has cost the city $865,000 since the plants were taken offline Aug. 19, the SFPUC said. Crews continue to clean and inspect transmission lines from one of the plants, according to the commission.
There are no mandatory evacuations or advisories for Mariposa County, but an advisory remains in effect for Ponderosa Hills and areas east along Highway 108 to Pinecrest. Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated.
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