Multiples homes have been destroyed in Mariposa County, California, due to an intense wildfire moving through the area.
The Oak Fire began on Friday in the Midpines area of Mariposa County near Carstens Road and Highway 140, according to a Sierra News Online report.
Early reports indicated that the fire was 0 percent contained and remained active throughout Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday, multiple communities in the area were given an advisement evacuation order just before 5 p.m. This included all of Chowchilla Mountain Road and its side roads, all of Harris Cutoff Road and all of its side roads, and all of Harris Road and all of its side roads.
On Saturday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency because of the Oak Fire.
In a press release his office said: "[The Oak Fire] has destroyed homes, threatened critical infrastructure and forced the evacuation of more than three thousand residents.
"Driven by hot, dry weather and drought conditions, the Oak Fire has burned more than 11,500 acres since it began burning on Friday."
A Western Fire Chiefs map has shown the scale and the expansive nature of the wildfire in the area. The fire continues to burn near Yosemite National Park and appears to be moving northwards towards Jerseydale.
The Oak Fire, at an estimated 15,603 acres, is the largest wildfire in California right now and is the biggest fire in the state since the start of 2022, according to an SFGATE report.
High temperatures, low humidity, strong winds and dry vegetation as well as dead trees have contributed to the speed and intensity at which the fire has been spreading.
"It is, by far, in my 30 years in the U.S. Forest Service, some of the most extreme behavior I have seen, including fires up and down the state," Mike Van Loben Sels, a unit fire chief with Cal Fire, said on Sunday night.
On Sunday, Newsom also announced that California has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to ensure the availability of enough resources to suppress the fire.
"The FMAG, which is provided through the President's Disaster Relief Fund on a cost-share basis, will enable local, state and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75-percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs," the press release said.
"The program, which is administered through the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), provides rapid financial assistance to communities impacted by fires."
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Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more
