— 500 Firefighters are tackling the blaze on the ground with help from support aircraft.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA — A forest fire burning near Yosemite National Park has swept across 4,310 acres, and forced the evacuation of several communities.
A fire that sparked Friday near Yosemite National Park in California turned deadly over the weekend, claiming the life of a firefighter and continuing to rage Monday, according to Newsweek.
Braden Varney, 36, a heavy fire equipment operator, was killed battling the fire, said officials with fire protection agency CAL FIRE. Varney was fatally injured when the bulldozer he was operating to make a fire line rolled over, according to Frank Polizzi, public information officer with the California Department of Industrial Relations.
Varney leaves behind his wife, Jessica, daughter Malhea, 5, and son Nolan, 3.
California Gov. Jerry Brown extended his “deepest sympathies” and ordered capitol flags lowered to honor the firefighter.
Five hundred personnel were struggling to contain the blaze, dubbed the Ferguson Fire, along the western edge of Yosemite in Mariposa County. On Monday, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s department issued a “fire advisement” for the community of West Yosemite, meaning that mandatory evacuations could be necessary if conditions worsen.
So far, the fire has scorched 9,000 acres and remains just 2% contained, the US Forest Service said.
The short-term forecast does not appear to help firefighters, with conditions expected “to remain hot and dry for the next seven days, with isolated thunderstorms possible over the Sierra Crest,” according to the USFS.
Despite the blaze, Yosemite National Park remains open. But the fire has forced the closure of part of Highway 140, one of the western entrances to the park. Forest Service officials said visitors will need to find alternate routes into the park.
The Ferguson Fire is just one of several fires currently burning across the state, which has faced years of devastating and deadly wildfires causing billions of dollars in damage.
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