The massive Rim fire, burning in and around the Yosemite National Park, has burned more than 192,000 acres and is now 30 percent contained, reports the LA Times..
Now on its 13th straight day, the Rim Fire has been declared as the sixth largest wildfire in California's history and has expanded to measures larger than the size of Chicago. So far, it has destroyed 111 buildings, including 31 homes.
On Thursday, Cal Fire reported they it had grown to 192,466 acres, or 300 square miles, and that four people have been injured. Officials estimate that $39 million has been spent on fighting the wildfire, reports NBC Bay Area News.
The fire is burning mainly in the Stanislaus National Forest west of Yosemite, but it has scorched more than 40,000 acres of the park. Fortunately, a blanket of moist air that settled over the mountains near Yosemite National Park helped firefighters increase containment of the Rim fire from 20 percent to 23 percent Tuesday night.
Another 300 firefights were added Thursday to the nearly 4,100 firefighters fighting to extinguish the blaze using helicopters, bulldozers, and flame retardants. After burning 234 square miles in Northern California, multiple mandatory and advisory evacuations were issued in the area northwest of the park.
At least 4,500 structures are threatened by the massive blaze, which is 20 miles from the iconic Yosemite Valley, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The wildfire broke out Saturday, Aug. 17 at about 3 p.m. EST in the Stanislaus National Forest area. The cause remains under investigation.