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Raging Wildfire Prompts Evacuation Order in Town Near Yosemite National Park

One thousand residents are told to leave Mariposa as the French Fire near the park entrance grows amid triple-digit heat.
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Raging Wildfire Prompts Evacuation Order in Town Near Yosemite National Park
A section of Mariposa County High School burns in Mariposa, Calif., in the early hours of July 5, 2024. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
Jill McLaughlin
Updated:
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A blistering heat wave has fueled several fires across California including a blaze that started on the Fourth of July near a small town at the entrance of Yosemite National Park.
About 1,000 residents in Mariposa, just 30 miles west of the national park, remained under mandatory evacuation orders Friday as the French Fire grew to nearly 850 acres, or 1.3 square miles, by Friday afternoon.
Jill McLaughlin
Jill McLaughlin
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Jill McLaughlin is an award-winning journalist covering politics, environment, and statewide issues. She has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico. Jill was born in Yosemite National Park and enjoys the majestic outdoors, traveling, golfing, and hiking.