About 10 years ago my wife didn't understand that she was at 6000 feet at a resort near Lake Tahoe but there was also a fire. Having lived at high altitudes I knew because of the smoke in the air that I shouldn't unload the car right then because we had just come from Sea level and that the smoke in the air would be deadly. I told my wife this but since she has a Master's degree and two bachelor's degrees often I can't tell her anything. But, when she refused to listen to me and yelled at me for not unloading the car I just looked at her because I knew I was right. Then she couldn't breathe so it got serious then. Since she was starting to pass out I and my 4 year old daughter got the attention of fire fighters nearby and got her on oxygen. An ambulance was called and we followed in our motor home to the local hospital where she spent the night. She has only been back to Lake Tahoe once since then and my daughter is now 17. What I'm trying to say is that fighting a fire is dangerous at altitude or around steep areas like the Sierras are full of. One mistake at this altitude for anyone could be fatal when people aren't used to these altitudes and there is smoke.
| CNN | - |
Yosemite
National Park, California (CNN) -- The numbers are staggering and the
prospects are absolutely scary as a massive California wildfire menaces
Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite wildfire grows, threatens reservoir, power station
updated 4:13 AM EDT, Tue August 27, 2013
Wildfire destroys cabins near Yosemite
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The Rim Fire has burned more than 160,000 acres in California
- A top priority is stopping the fire from spreading further in Yosemite National Park
- Evacuating residents say they're worried about their homes
- Official: "We're going to do everything in our power to protect" Yosemite
The Rim Fire, which has devoured nearly 161,000 acres, is also threatening San Francisco's key water and power sources.
"There's a lot of concern, and there's a lot of work to be done," U.S. Forest Service spokesman Lee Bentley said.
Rim Fire enters Yosemite National Park
The wildfire, which was
20% contained Monday night, was spreading primarily to the east and
threatened to grow amid extremely dry conditions and hot weather.
As many as 20 helicopters and air tankers were aiding the efforts of 3,600 firefighters.
The fire continued to
spread Monday toward a key part of San Francisco's water supply: the
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which lies within Yosemite and is just east of
the flames.
Firefighters battle Yosemite wildfire
Northwest of the reservoir, rocky terrain could stop the fire's growth there, Bentley said.
The fire also could
threaten the area's hydroelectric generators, which provide much of San
Francisco's electricity. Because of the approaching flames, officials
shut down the generators, and the city -- more than 120 miles to the
west -- temporarily is getting power from elsewhere.
Yosemite: "A national treasure"
California wildfire doubles in size
A top priority is stopping the fire from spreading further in Yosemite National Park.
"The park is a national
treasure," said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Vickie Wright, "so no
matter what it takes, we're going to do everything in our power to
protect that park."
Yosemite, with hundreds
of campground sites and lodging units, had nearly 4 million visitors
last year, the National Park Service said. The park typically has 15,000
visitors on a busy summer weekend.
Fire crews fight to save Yosemite
While the Rim Fire has
consumed at least 12,000 acres in the northwest section of the park, so
far it has had little or no direct impact on Yosemite Valley, a popular spot for tourists and home to many of the famous cliffs and waterfalls in the park.
About 4,500 structures, many of them vacation homes, were under threat, according to InciWeb,
a federal website that collects information from agencies such as the
U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The fire so far has
cost more than $20 million, Bentley said.
The inferno threatened
the Yosemite gateway communities of Groveland and Pine Mountain Lake
just outside the Stanislaus National Forest.
"Business is slow, very slow," said Corinna Loh, owner of the Iron Door Saloon in Groveland.
Her normal season is Memorial Day to Labor Day.
"This is time we manage
to save up money to make it through the winter, so it's really scary for
all of us," she said, sitting among empty tables.
The Tuolumne County
Sheriff's Office, meanwhile, issued evacuation advisories for the town
of Tuolumne and nearby Ponderosa Hill, InciWeb said. It was not clear
how many residents were covered by the evacuation advisory.
The fire has destroyed
11 homes and 12 outbuildings, as well as a Yosemite campground owned by
the city of Berkeley, officials said.
Authorities say the Rim Fire started on August 17. The cause is under investigation.
CNN's Nick Valencia and Gary Tuchman reported from Yosemite National Park, and Ed Payne reported and wrote in Atlanta.
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