Yosemite wildfire rips through 20 square miles in a day

A raging wildfire near Yosemite National Park has burned nearly 20 square miles of land in just over a day, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, officials said Sunday.

The fast-moving oak fire, southwest of the Midpines National Wilderness Treasure, had punctured 2.5 square miles of land by Friday night — and spread to 22.3 square miles by Sunday morning, according to Mariposa County Fire Department officials.

“The fire moves fast. This fire threw embers up to two miles yesterday,” said Sierra National Forest spokesman Daniel Patterson, according to SF Gate. “These are exceptional fire conditions.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County over the effects of the oak fire.

By midday Sunday, the explosive fire was 0% contained and moving west toward the towns of Jerseydale, Darrah and Bootjack, SF Gate reported.

More than 400 firefighters battled the inferno, and bulldozers, helicopters and other aircraft were used in the effort, Patterson said.

Stunning photos show firefighters struggling to quell a sky-high blaze that engulfs a tall tree near a power line and fills the sky with billowing smoke and a menacing shade of orange.

More than 6,000 people were evacuated from the area Sunday, with 10 buildings destroyed and five damaged, according to Cal Fire officials.

California has been plagued by increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change dries much of the state and causes fast-moving, destructive, and unpredictable blazes.

With postal wires