Overnight, it became California's biggest wildfire this season.
A wildfire that started Friday afternoon on Yosemite’s west edge quickly became California’s biggest fire this season and prompted widespread evacuation orders.
The Oak Fire was discovered around 2 p.m. Friday along Highway 140 near Midpines and within three hours was at 1,745 acres. As of 7 a.m. Saturday, it had burned 6,555 acres (10¼ square miles) and destroyed 10 structures; 2,000 structures were threatened, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
The map above shows the mandatory evacuation order in red and the warning area in yellow. The pink area outlined in red is the fire perimeter as of the most recent CalFire mapping.
An evacuation center has been set up at Mariposa Elementary School, 5044 Jones St. in Mariposa. That center is accepting small pets; large animals can be taken to the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.
Highway 140 is closed near Midpines.
More official information from Mariposa County can be found at its emergency alert website.
The Oak Fire is just south of the footprint of the 2018 Ferguson Fire, which burned 96,901 acres and caused the deaths of two firefighters.
