CARLOS BARRIA
The first signs of progress in battling the Oak fire raging just outside California’s Yosemite Park came Monday, with the state’s main firefighting agency reporting the flames are now 10 percent contained.
But that hasn’t eased the worries of those in Mariposa County, where the fire has already ravaged 17,000 acres of land. Emmanuel Chavez, a spokesman for Cal Fire, told The Daily Beast the fire’s behavior is still “erratic,” with his colleagues struggling to evacuate thousands of people as the flames exploded to become the state’s largest fire of the year in less than three days.
Chavez said the homes of more than 3,000 people are in immediate danger. More than 2,000 firefighters have been sent to battle the flames, but it’s already claimed seven or eight homes, he said.