Photo BY: MAX WHITTAKER | REUTERS
A view of the Rim Fire as it burns just outside Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Saturday. Firefighters on Saturday battled to gain control of a fast-moving wildfire raging on the edge of Yosemite National Park that is threatening power and water supplies to San Francisco about 200 miles to the west.
A colossal wildfire raging on the edge of Yosemite National Park has produced dangerous weather patterns by fueling thunderous pyrocumulus clouds that can alter the wind direction rapidly, potentially trapping firefighters, forest officials said on Sunday.
The Rim Fire grew to 134,000 acres by early Sunday morning, up 9,000 acres from the day before, with smoke columns rising more than 30,000 feet, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Dick Fleishman.
“That’s a real watch-out situation for our firefighters when they see that kind of activity. They know that the wind could actually move that fire right back on them,” Fleishman said. “That’s been happening every afternoon.”
The fire was threatening power and water supplies to San Francisco, about 200 miles to the west, and scorched part of Yosemite, a park known for its waterfalls, giant sequoia groves and other scenic wonders.
