A massive wildfire is raging near Yosemite.

July 19 in the California mountains west of Yosemite National Park with a new force a forest fire broke out, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes, destroying 29 buildings, putting hundreds more houses at risk and covering the area with strong smoke.

Over the night from 19 to 20, July the fire-covered area increased almost fourfold, covering about 194 square kilometers, writes NBC.

The fire approached the border of Yosemite Park at a distance of 56 km from the side where the tent camping is located in the park. Because of the fire, we had to close one of the roads leading to the park, in addition, visitors were warned about possible breathing problems due to smoke.

The California Fire Department reported that the fire does not threaten the park as it moves in the opposite direction from Yosemite.

Because of the fire, almost 5 000 people had to be evacuated, whose houses were at risk from fire or smoke.

People said that during the evacuation, because of the smoke, they sometimes could not even see the sun, and besides, there were large traffic jams on the highway.

The fire was the result of heat and drought in California, and strong winds led to the rapid spread of fire.

Governor Jerry Brown has declared an emergency situation in the region so that additional resources can be added to the fight against fire. A fire forecasting laboratory also joined the firefighters, which assesses the expected rate and direction of fire development.

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