By Laila Kearney
(Reuters) - A colossal wildfire raging across the western edge of Yosemite National Park swept further into the park on Sunday and forced the evacuation of some its camps due to heavy smoke, according to a park spokesman.
The blaze on Sunday had come within 2 miles of a key reservoir that supplies most of San Francisco's water.
The so-called Rim Fire, which has burned 134,000 acres, caused the closure of the White Wolf area of the park on its western side, said Yosemite spokesman Tom Medema. Thirteen of 74 camps were occupied and evacuated, he said.
The flames had consumed 15,000 acres within Yosemite, a park known for its waterfalls, giant sequoia groves and other scenic wonders, by Sunday afternoon, up from just over 12,000 acres in the morning, he said.
"There's no eminent risk from the fire but the smoke impact is so heavy that we're evacuating those areas," Medema said.
He did not know how many people were evacuated but said that one of the camps had 25 occupants.
Officials said they have no plans to shut down the entire park or its top attractions.
The blaze on Sunday had come within 2 miles of a key reservoir that supplies most of San Francisco's water.
The so-called Rim Fire, which has burned 134,000 acres, caused the closure of the White Wolf area of the park on its western side, said Yosemite spokesman Tom Medema. Thirteen of 74 camps were occupied and evacuated, he said.
The flames had consumed 15,000 acres within Yosemite, a park known for its waterfalls, giant sequoia groves and other scenic wonders, by Sunday afternoon, up from just over 12,000 acres in the morning, he said.
"There's no eminent risk from the fire but the smoke impact is so heavy that we're evacuating those areas," Medema said.
He did not know how many people were evacuated but said that one of the camps had 25 occupants.
Officials said they have no plans to shut down the entire park or its top attractions.
