As of Saturday morning, the Rim wildfire that spread into California’s Yosemite National Park remained far from some of the iconic sites the park has to offer, such as the Half Dome and El Capitan rock formations. The fire had a foothold, however, in at least 17 of the park’s 196 square miles, in a remote area near Lake Eleanor.
The fire was only 5 percent contained as of a recent update received by the LA Times on Saturday morning. USA Today summed up the damage of the fire that has raged in California for since August 21: 105, 620 acres burned, 4,500 structures threatened, $5.4 million cost to-date.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency late Friday for San Francisco, about 150 miles away. The fire threatens San Francisco’s power infrastructure. Y
Yosemite Park officials have warned backpackers not to enter the area. Many express worry through social media as fire threatens to engulf more of the beloved national site.
Webcams upload fresh photos of the park’s main sites on the Yosemite National Park website. The photos did not show major smoke at the sites on Saturday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
