Wildfire in Yosemite National Park swells to 1,600 acres near Wawona, historic hotel
A wildfire in Yosemite National Park continued to grow Tuesday near the community of Wawona, home of the historic Big Trees Lodge, the park said.
As the fire inched closer to homes, the National Park Service asked to residents to be prepared to evacuate. Voluntary evacuations notices went out to residents in Camp Wawona and Chilnualna Falls Ridge.
The South Fork fire erupted at 2:30 a.m. Sunday about 1 ½ miles east of Wawona in the Yosemite Valley, the park said. Flames had scorched 1,613 acres in an area of “heavy tree mortality due to bark beetle infestation and poor forest health,” the park said.
Nearly 150 firefighters were aggressively tackling the flames in steep, rocky terrain that was not easily accessible to crews.
Wawona, about 66 miles north of Fresno, is nestled between Yosemite’s Chilnualna Falls and its Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, an area that has been closed for restoration.
The hotel, formerly known as the Wawona Hotel, was not under immediate threat, park spokesman Scott Gediman told the Sierra Star.
To avoid potential trademark infringement issues, the park renamed the hotel as well as several other properties in 2016 when it failed to reach a settlement with the departing vendor, DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite Inc.
The South Fork fire is one of two blazes burning in Yosemite.
The lightning-sparked Empire fire, which started Aug. 1, is burning a mile south of Bridalveil Campground in Yosemite’s wilderness, the park said.
Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA
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