A state of emergency has been declared in California due to the Oak Fire, a second fire at the gates of Yosemite Park. In three days, the fire became the biggest fire of 2022.
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A fire extremely violent began Friday in the county of Mariposa in California, right next to the yosemite national park. In three days, from Friday to Sunday evening, the Oak Fire burned more than 6,300 hectares and destroyed around twenty buildings and homes. The American West is currently undergoing a wave of heat, which sent temperatures soaring to 38°C in this region of California last Saturday. The humidity level in theair also reached levels close to records: 8 to 9% humidity this Sunday, while normal is between 30 and 50% in this area at this time.
Aerial views of a major wildfire, “Oak Fire”, which broke out on Friday in Mariposa County in the western United States, near Yosemite National Park pic.twitter.com/jIA5WVcuXP
— Alertesinfos (@AIertesinfos) July 24, 2022
An out of control fire fueled by dead trees
Coupled with extreme dryness across the state, strong winds and completely dried out vegetation, the heat created the perfect conditions for new fire starts. Because Yosemite Park is already affected by another fire, the “Washburn Fire” which began on July 7 and is now 87% contained. The forests of Yosemite, and more generally the entire State of California, are affected by massive tree mortality related to drought, previous fires and parasites: dead pines are excellent fuels that allow new lights to start more easily and progress even faster.
The chief of the 2,000 firefighters present on the spot described this fire as “explosive”, as its development was rapid. If it is still completely out of control this Monday, July 25 and continues to progress, the fire is still not as extreme as over the weekend. Not a drop of rain is expected for the next 15 days near Yosemite, with temperatures between 30 and 34°C.
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