Wildfire near Yosemite National Park explodes in size
A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California's largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuations and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses. The Oak Fire, which began Friday afternoon southwest of the park near Midpines in Mariposa County, grew to 10.2 square miles (26.5 square kilometers) by Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.
news.yahoo.com2 skiers defy death in descent of Yosemite's Half Dome
In this photo provided by Jason Torlano, Zach Milligan is shown on his descent down Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021. Two men climbed some 4,000 feet to the top of Yosemite's Half Dome in subfreezing temperatures and skied down the famously steep monolith to the valley floor. He specializes in using ropes to work in high-altitude and dangerous settings. AdHe said he tried to ski down Half Dome each of the past three years, but called it off after finding unsuitable snow. This year, an early February storm filled Yosemite with fresh powder, including about 2 to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of snow at the peak of Half Dome.
Homes burned as winds push California fire into desert floor
The fire grew by nearly 20,000 acres to 142 square miles (368 square kilometers). The name of the firefighter killed in the nearby El Dorado Fire was being withheld until family members are notified. More than 7,900 wildfires have burned more than 5,468 square miles (14,164 square kilometers) in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation. The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 34 square miles (89 square kilometers) and was 59% contained, with 10 buildings destroyed and six damaged. ___Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles and Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Sierra Club calls out founder John Muir for racist views
FILE - This 1907 photo provided by the U.S. National Park Service shows naturalist John Muir in Yosemite National Park, Calif. The Sierra Club is reckoning with the racist views of founder John Muir, the naturalist who helped spawn environmentalism. The San Francisco-based environmental group said Wednesday, July 22, 2020, that Muir was part of the group's history perpetuating white supremacy. Executive Director Michael Brune says Muir made racist remarks about Black people and Native Americans, though his views later evolved. (Courtesy of U.S. National Park Service via AP)
More bears are being seen at Yosemite National Park as coronavirus keeps tourists away
Being cooped up at home is no fun for humans, but bears are making the most of the extra space at California's shuttered Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is the fifth most popular of the National Park Service's 62 headliner parks. Bears out and aboutYosemite is home to about 300 to 500 black bears, according to a Yosemite National Park post on Twitter. Fortunately not: No human deaths by black bears have ever been recorded there, park officials posted. There’s no estimated reopening date for Yosemite yet, park officials said in the Facebook comments.