California Oak Fire Outside of Yosemite Chars 16K Acres; Prompts Evacuations and Closes Highways

The Oak Fire in California was reportedly moving "extremely fast" as of Sunday, as it charred over 16,000 acres of land after it erupted outside of Yosemite last week.

According to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Jon Heggie, Oak Fire has expanded to more than 16,700 acres and destroyed at least seven structures as of Monday, per CNN.

The size of the said fire is specifically 16,791 acres, according to Newsweek.

"It's moving extremely fast and the reaction time to get people out is limited because that fire is moving so fast," Heggie underscored.

With its large-scale fire, the Oak Fire in Mariposa County is now classified as the largest blaze in California this year. It was followed by the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County, which burned 5,856 acres, and the Electra Fire in Amador and Calaveras Counties, which burned 4,478 acres of land.

California Oak Fire Aftermath

Since last week, at least 3,000 people have been forced to evacuate due to the Oak Fire in California.

"But the reality is, it's moving so quickly, it's not giving people a lot of time, and they are sometimes just going to have to evacuate with the shirts on their back," Heggie said.

An evacuation center was established in Mariposa Elementary School, as well as a small animal shelter. A shelter for large animals was established on the Coarsegold Rodeo grounds.

Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Mariposa County due to the effects of the Oak Fire.

The state also secured a Fire Management Assistant Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help in ensuring the availability of resources in containing the Oak Fire.

Cal Fire on Monday noted that the Oak Fire continued to burn through Sunday due to the dry dead and downed fuels.

California's Oak Fire also prompted the closure of some highways.

Yosemite National Park said in a tweet that Oak Fire has caused the closure of Highway 140 in Mariposa.

On Monday, Cal Fire reported that more than 2,500 personnel are battling Oak Fire in California, claiming that 10% of the fire has been contained.

The fire crews are reportedly using a dozen of helicopters, 281 fire engines, and 46 water tenders, which are usually used to transport large amounts of water.

Despite the destruction near Yosemite, the Yosemite National Park said on Monday that most of the park is still open to the public, but arriving visitors need to secure a reservation.

California's Oak Fire

California's Oak Fire that is burning in Mariposa County erupted on July 22.

Heggie underscored that the Oak Fire was a result of a change in the climate based form the fire's velocity and intensity.

"What I can tell you is this is a direct result of what is climate change... You can't have a 10-year drought in California and expect things to be the same. And we are now paying the price for that 10-year drought and that climate change," Heggie said.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Thousands Evacuate as California's Oak Fire Explodes in Size - From CBS Evening News