Authorities say a wildfire is threatening several hundred homes near the main entrance road to Yosemite National Park. Cheryl Goetz, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, says the 1,000-acre fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain along both sides of the Merced River.The Mariposa Sheriff's Department is warning residents of the town of Midpines to prepare to evacuate. Midpines is located along Highway 140, the thoroughfare to the west entrance of Yosemite National Park.
Campers on nearby Bureau of Land Management land were evacuated as a precaution.
Fire crews were being flown Saturday into the hard-to-reach area. The fire was first reported Friday.
In a wild blaze like the Telegraph Fire, a safe spot can become dangerous in just a matter of seconds. KMPH News crew saw that happen first hand as one second they were filming the fire from a distance, and the next minute they were being evacuated from the quick burning area.
"This fire started out slowly and progressed dynamically today," said Karen Guillemin, a Cal Fire official.
The Telegraph Fire in Mariposa County has already burned several thousand acres, and forced evacuations of nearly two hundred homes owners, and it's not showing any signs of slowing down.
"Everything's against us, the weather and the topography, it's staking up to be a real hard fight," said Guillemin.
Fire officials said part of the reason the fire has spread so quickly is because of the fuel it's burning, such as dry grass and trees. Officials said there is also a lot of fuel since there hasn't been a major fire in the area in more than 20 years.
"We've been very lucky," said Stephen Cole.
Cole lives right off a road leading into the danger zone, closed to everyone but fire personnel, but he's not afraid.
He said even though the fire's smoke has made a dense cloud over his home and ash is raining down, he's prepared his home and he's staying put.
"Cal Fire will defend this area right up to the last moment if need, so we're not afraid," said Cole. "It is the price you pay living up here, it really is you have to take the good with the bad."
Fire officials said they think the fire was started by target shooters.
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