JERSEYDALE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters have significantly slowed the spread of a California wildfire near Yosemite National Park, allowing officials to lift some evacuation orders for residents of remote mountain communities.
As of Wednesday, the Oak Fire in Mariposa County had covered more than 29 square miles (75 square kilometers) of thorn-dry trees and brush, with 32 percent containment, Cal Fire said.
At least 74 houses and other structures were destroyed.
Fire spokesman Chris Garcia said about 3,800 people had been allowed to return to their homes as of Tuesday. About 2,200 residents remain under evacuation orders.
Ground crews with air support got a break from the increased humidity and cooler temperatures as monsoonal moisture moved through the Sierra Nevada foothills earlier this week.
“They’re definitely making good progress,” Garcia said of firefighters working in steep, rugged terrain.
Authorities were investigating the cause of the fire, which broke out last Friday southwest of the park, near the town of Midpines.
California has experienced increasingly large and deadly wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.
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