LOS ANGELES, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite National Park, one of the most popular national parks in the United States, grew more than 50 percent overnight into Saturday, spreading to 703 acres in size.
According to the latest data released Saturday afternoon by the InciWeb, an interagency all-risk incident information management system in the United States, the fire burning near the lower portion of Mariposa Grove remained 0 percent contained.
The word containment refers to a barrier, whether it is natural or manmade, that prevents a wildfire from spreading.
Hundreds of firefighters are battling from the ground and air to save the historic place, which houses thousand-year-old giant sequoias.
Mariposa Grove was closed since the fire occurred Thursday and two campgrounds nearby have been evacuated Saturday, but other parts of the park are still open.
Officials from Yosemite warned tourists who are visiting the famous national park located in California this weekend to be prepared for long delays at entrance stations as well as smoky conditions and poor air quality there.
The western United States has been ravaged by wildfires in recent years, exacerbated by drought conditions tied to climate change. In California alone, more than 2.5 million acres were destroyed in nearly 9,000 fires last year, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. ■
