Monday's high humidity was welcome weather to crews fighting a wildfire burning in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park that prompted the helicopter rescue of 85 hikers Sunday.
The fire has been burning since mid-August but flared to 4 square miles by Monday, according to a National Park Service update. More than 100 hikers had to be evacuated from the park on Sunday, including 85 who were airlifted by helicopters from the California Highway Patrol, the update said. Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb told The Associated Press that officials were confident they had pulled any hikers who were in danger out of the trails, but they would continue to look for anyone left behind.
The 100 firefighters, including six Hot Shot crews, assigned to the fire were being helped Monday by calm winds and relatively high humidity, Cobb said. Crews were also making gains on an additional fire burning 300 acres just 15 miles southwest of the park. The blaze, which was sparked on September 5, was 75 percent contained and expected to be fully contained by Wednesday, according to CalFire officials.
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— Elisha Fieldstadt