An unattended campfire led to a larger fire near Yosemite National Park, according to CNN. The fire is threatening hundreds of homeowners, though firefighters are beginning to get the blaze under control.
Approximately 500 homes are under orders for mandatory evacuation, including the home of Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann.
"My cats are with some friends and the dogs are with some other friends," Cann told CNN affiliate KGPE. "When you are evacuated, it makes you think.
"I've been in that house 23 years and it makes you think about what's really important," he continued. "What do you have to take, and, in the end, it's not all that much."
Orlando Vigil, a homeowner under the evacuation orders, had to flee quickly as the fire spread. He was safe, but had to leave his animals at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds. While the animals are safe, Vigil isn't sure about his home.
"We'll see if there's anything when we get back," he said.
There are more than 2,000 firefighters battling the flames in steep, rugged terrain west of Yosemite. While California wildfires are almost routine, this one is earlier than normal, and likely a result of the dryness the state has been experiencing.
"We usually see this sort of fire behavior in August," Gary Wuchner, the fire spokesman for Yosemite National Park, said. "It's making us nervous."
The fire was first noticed on Sunday afternoon after campfire embers spread into the surrounding woods. By Tuesday night, it had burned through almost 1,900 acres, with only 40 percent considered contained, according to CalFire. There were 2,200 firefighters on the scene using 53 fire engines, 11 water tenders, seven bulldozers as well as other equipment. Approximately 800 structures are in the fire danger zone.
Some residents have been forced to evacuate to the Red Cross shelter at Mariposa Elementary School. Officials are providing food, medical help and other basic necessities.
"We also have a mental health worker to help those that are overstressed emotionally from the ordeal of being uprooted from their home," Cindy Thomas, of the Red Cross, told KGPE.
CNN News coverage of the fire.
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