MARIPOSA (USA): Firefighters from throughout California were being dispatched on Tuesday to protect homes threatened by an out-of-control wildfire burning in the foothills near Yosemite National Park, the second fire around the park in recent weeks. The nearly 5-kilometer blaze had destroyed eight structures and was threatening 500 others about 25 kilometres away from an entrance to Yosemite, fire officials said.

Officials were hopeful, though, that cooler temperatures, higher humidity and calmer winds expected on Tuesday would help them begin containing the blaze.

It was not clear how many of the structures under threat were homes, but mandatory evacuation orders went out to some 13,000 phone numbers for homes and businesses on Monday, according to sheriff’s officials.

Four hotels near an entrance to Yosemite were evacuated and Tuesday classes have been cancelled for most of the Yosemite Unified School District. The fire comes on the heels of another blaze around Yosemite this summer and last year’s Rim Fire, which raged for two months across 1,000 square kilometres of land including part of Yosemite National Park.

The Rim Fire threatened thousands of structures, destroyed 11 homes and cost more than $125 million to fight.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014