Yosemite National Park Fire, Map, Update: 'Rim Fire' 23 Percent Contained, Grows to Over 187,000 Acres

The massive Rim fire, burning in and around the Yosemite National Park, has been declared as the sixth largest wildfire in California's history after growing to over 187,000 acres Tuesday night.

Now in its 12^th straight day, the blaze has burned 187,466 acres of land, an area larger than the size of Chicago. It has also destroyed 111 buildings, including 31 homes, reports the LA Times.

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.

Nearly 4,100 firefighters have been dispatched to try to stop the wildfire using helicopters, bulldozers, and flame retardants. Overnight, firefighters continued to build and strengthen containment lines and conduct backfiring operations to slow the blaze as it rages farther into Yosemite National Park.

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.

As Mother Jones notes, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about such a fire in Yosemite, even if you don't live in California. For one, it's in our premier national park, Yosemite, which is about the size of Rhode Island. The attraction is visited by around 4 million visitors each year and is home to iconic groves of sequoia trees, endangered species like the California bighorn sheep, and some of the most famous peaks in the country, such as Half Dome and El Capitan.

The wildfire broke out Saturday, Aug. 17 at about 3 p.m. in the Stanislaus National Forest area. The cause remains under investigation.