Canyon Fire Burns 300 Acres Near Yosemite
A wildfire burning in the rugged Merced River canyon grew to engulf about 300 acres of forest land west of Yosemite National Park by Wednesday afternoon.
Almost 1,000 firefighters were fighting the blaze along California 140 in Mariposa County, about 20 miles west of Yosemite.
The road was closed for much of the day, but the California Highway Patrol was expected to open one lane sometime in the evening, said California Department of Forestry Fire Capt. James Vineyard.
The fire was about 15% contained and was expected to be totally contained by Friday. A Yosemite National Park spokesman said the fire damaged power transmission equipment and the park was operated on backup generators for several hours. Electricity was restored by afternoon.
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