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US wildfire destroys homes
28/07/2008 09:34 - (SA)
Tracie Cone
Mariposa - An out-of-control wildfire burning near an entrance to Yosemite National Park has destroyed 12 homes and threatened thousands more as flames forced authorities to cut power to the park.
The blaze has charred more than 7 285 hectares since Friday as wooded slopes ignited amid hot, dry conditions that have plagued California for months.
"There's no fire history in the past 100 hundred years. That's one of the reasons this fire's been able to burn so erratically," said Daniel Berlant, spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
In Southern California, about 4 000 visitors were evacuated on Sunday from the Los Angeles zoo as a fast-moving brush fire burned nearby in Griffith Park.
Flames came within about 305m of a California condor enclosure in the zoo, forcing the relocation of the condors and two vultures, zoo spokesperson Jason Jacobs said.
The fire had burned about 10 hectares and was contained in under three hours, Los Angeles fire officials said. No injuries were reported.
Meanwhile, near Yosemite National Park, the wildfire led officials to order the evacuations of 195 homes under immediate threat. About 2 000 homes faced at least some danger from the fast-spreading flames, fire officials said. No injuries were reported.
State fire spokesperson Karen Guillemin said the blaze was sparked by someone target shooting but would not elaborate.
Most of the evacuated homes are in the town of Midpines, about 19km from the park. The southern edge of the blaze was as little as three kilometres from Mariposa, a town of about 1 800 residents, Berlant said.
Mary Ann Porter, a nursing assistant who lives in Midpines, left her goats, chickens and dog when she evacuated on Sunday morning. Porter, who lives with her daughter and grandchildren, said the family took pictures and some computer hard drives.
To protect firefighters battling flames beneath power lines, electricity was cut to a wide area, fire officials said. The transmission line that fed power to Yosemite was also destroyed in the fire, said James Guidi Jnr, a spokesperson for Pacific Gas & Electric.
Some park buildings were closed because of the power outage, but generators were still providing hotels, stores and other heavily used park facilities with electricity, park spokesperson Julie Chavez said.
- SAPA
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