MARIPOSA CO., Calif. (KCBS) -- California fire officials say an out-of-control wildfire burning Sunday near Yosemite National Park has destroyed eight homes and is threatening thousands more.
The fast-spreading blaze has charred more than 18,000 acres since Friday as wooded slopes ignited amid hot, dry conditions that have plagued California for months. The fire was completely uncontained Sunday morning.
The wildfire led officials to order the evacuations of 170 homes under immediate threat. About 2,000 homes faced at least some danger from the fast-spreading flames.
Most of the evacuated homes are in the town of Midpines, located along Highway 140, about 12 miles from the park.
Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said the southern edge of the blaze was as little as two miles from Mariposa, a town of about 1,800 residents.
"There are 900 firefighters on the line and hundreds more are coming as fires caused by lightning in northern California are easing we are able to release them," says Berlant.
The hot weather and a wilderness area filled with tinder-dry fuel has made this an extremely dangerous fire to fight.
Berlant says that the fire has caused some disruption in the power supply to the park...but it is still open as normal.
 Mariposa County Supervisor Brad Aborn on the Fires
For More Information
Resident Information: 209-966-4784
Evacuation Hotline 209-966-1133
Body of Fire Chief Found at Yreka Fire Scene
Firefighter Killed In Trinity County
Authorities say a firefighter who died while scouting a Northern California blaze is likely a fire chief from Washington state.
Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Susan Gravenkamp said Sunday that investigators believed the firefighter was 49-year-old Daniel Packer of Lake Tapps, Wash.
Gravenkamp said the 250-acre fire was preventing crews from recovering the body to make a positive identification but that several other firefighters who escaped from the scene identified the victim as Packer.
Klamath National Forest spokesman Duane Lyons said a U.S. Forest Service team would arrive Monday to investigate the cause of his death.
Eighteen-year-old Washington state firefighter Andrew Palmer died Friday after he was hit by a falling tree while battling another Northern California wildfire
Monterey County
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office has lifted all voluntary evacuations and county road closures that were in place due to the Basin Complex Fire.
The evacuations and closures were lifted at 6 p.m. Friday. However, due to work firefighters are doing where the 162,818-acre fire is burning, motorists are being advised to continue to use caution while traveling in the area.
The fire, which started June 21, is 79 percent contained. Full containment is expected Wednesday.
During the next several days, firefighters plan to continue to work on containment lines. They also plan to remove trash and equipment, including several miles of hose from the fire line.
Nearly 60 structures have been destroyed and about 675 remain threatened. There have been nine injuries.
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