California Fires Kill Two, Yosemite National Park At Risk

Although the body was engulfed in flames, making positive identification impossible, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department said Sunday that Daniel Packer, 49, of Lake Tapps, Washington was identified as the victim by crew members who escaped.

Olympic National Park firefighter Andrew Palmer was killed fighting a fire in northern California Friday.

Palmer, 18, was assigned to the Eagle Fire on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. He had been hit by a falling tree and was being transported by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to a hospital in Redding, California, when he was pronounced dead.

Just 12 miles west of Yosemite National Park, a 26,000 acre wildfire blazing out of control in steep canyons has burned down 12 homes and is threatening the town of Midpines.

The Telegraph fire reddens the air near Yosemite National Park. (Photo by Dave Chen)

The Telegraph fire, burning just outside Midpines and two miles northeast of the town of Mariposa, has forced hundreds of residents from their homes, caused a power outage in the Yosemite Valley, and is threatening the water supply for the Mariposa Utility District, officials said.

The Mariposa County Sheriff's Department is enforcing an evacuation order for Midpines, which is located along Highway 140 leading to the west entrance of Yosemite National Park. The park has remained open to visitors.

Officials ordered the evacuation of 195 homes under immediate threat, warning that about 2,000 homes are at risk from the racing flames.

An evacuation center has been set up at the Mariposa Elementry School at 5044 Jones St in Mariposa.

Firefighters observed what they described as "extremely erratic fire behavior" due to dry conditions and the fact that the area has not burned in the past 100 years.

The 1,922 firefighters on the job are having a hard time reaching the blaze, which is burning in steep, rugged terrain along both sides of the Merced River.

Power in El Portal and Yosemite Village was cut off to ensure the safety of firefighters. Officials said thick smoke can act as an electrical conduit and deliver electricity to firefighters working near active power lines.

Over a million California acres have been burned since June 20, 2008, when a thunderstorm system moved over the state, with lightning striking over 2,000 fires. Today, over 98 percent of those fires have been contained by firefighting agencies from across California, the USA, and crews from Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Conditions throughout California remain extremely dry and fire danger remains very high, California fire officials warn.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.