A forest fire burning near Yosemite National Park exploded to 4,000 acres, forcing the closing of a major highway into the park and prompting evacuations of nearby communities, officials said.
The fire was only 2 percent contained early Sunday, the day after a firefighter was killed battling the blaze.
The fire was burning in a wilderness area southwest of the park and prompted evacuations in Briceburg, Cedar Lodge and Mariposa Pines north of Bear Clover. An evacuation advisory was also in effect for the Jerseydale area.
The fire burned in rugged, steep terrain where drought-stricken trees are providing plenty of fuel, said Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean, whose agency is assisting the U.S. Forest Service in fighting the fire.
"We have not recouped at all" from the state's lingering drought, McLean said, noting that recent rains were "not even speed bumps" when it comes to stopping the fire danger. He said the area's canyons also caused erratic winds.
"It's the worst of the worst," McLean said of fire conditions.
Braden Varney, a heavy equipment operator with Cal Fire, died as crews fought the fire early Saturday, he said.
Varney, 36, of Mariposa, served in the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit for a decade. He left behind a wife and two young children, according to the agency.
"He was a community member. That's where he lived, protecting the area where he grew up," McLean said.
McLean said Varney's death is still under investigation. Varney's job involved operating bulldozers, and he was working on the line with teams trying to contain the fire when he was killed, McLean said. The area where firefighters were working is generally inaccessible.
