New wildfire near Yosemite forces hundreds of evacuations
A wildfire that has burned 300 acres near Yosemite National Park has forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes and injured a firefighter, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Bridge fire in Mariposa County was first reported Friday afternoon near Highway 49 at Harris Road, 10 miles east of the community of Mariposa, according to Cal Fire.
A firefighter hurt while battling the blaze was being taken to the hospital Friday evening with what officials believed was a minor injury, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Karen Guillemin.
Evacuations were put in place for about 700 homes and five businesses in the Ponderosa Basin area, Guillemin said. An evacuation shelter was opened at New Life Christian Fellowship on Cole Road in the community of Bootjack.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation and officials have not been able to assess whether there have been any damages to property, Guillemin said.
“Everybody is still fighting the fire aggressively,” she said.
Follow @palomaesquivel on Twitter.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
