Fire raging unchecked miles from Yosemite

A fire charring forest land west of Yosemite National Park and threatening communities in Mariposa County is spreading fast.

The Telegraph fire has burned 25 homes, scorched 29,600 acres, is only 15 percent contained and still threatens 4,000 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire is burning with "a rapid rate of spread in multiple directions" in steep, rocky terrain that is challenging firefighters, Cal Fire stated Tuesday.

The fire's erratic behavior also was attributed to plentiful fuel provided by vegetation in an area that has not burned in 100 years.

Capt. Cheryl Goetz of Cal Fire said the big threats now are to Greeley Hill to the north and El Portal, a company town for the park's administrative offices and employees.

As nearly 3,500 firefighters battled the blaze, utility workers struggled for a second day to restore power to more than 1,000 customers.

On Monday, two generators were trucked into to the area in an effort to bring power to 561 businesses and homes -- including those in Yosemite Valley -- that were affected when a major transmission line was damaged by the fire.

The fire about 10 miles west of the park entrance and 20 miles from Yosemite Valley proper has curtailed access to the park, which remains open despite power outages and obscured visibility.

Highway 140, which leads to the park's main entrance, was to be closed until 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Park officials were asking visitors to seek alternate routes to reach the famous landmark, including Highway 120, Highway 41 and the Tioga Pass.

Several park facilities are operating on reduced power. Some facilities are half lit, and some of the hotels and accommodations in the park are without hot water and, at times, electricity.

Park officials, however, are stressing that the park remains open.

But tourist industry officials say they are concerned potential park visitors will avoid Yosemite as the fire's worldwide notoriety grows.

Smoke from the fire has reduced visibility of some of the park's most popular features, including Half Dome and El Capitan.

The haze isn't as severe on the eastern flanks of the park, which remains largely unaffected by the fire.

The fire is threatening the communities of Midpines, Briceburg, Mariposa, Greeley Hill, El Portal, Coulterville, Bear Valley and Mount Bullion Camp, according to Cal Fire.

Evacuations have been ordered along roads between Mariposa, Midpines and Greeley Hill.

As of Tuesday, 300 people have been evacuated from their homes, and another 1,000 are on evacuation notice, fire officials said.

For those workers who live in communities outside the park's boundaries, the days since the fire started have been tense.

On her way home over the past few nights, Kari Cobb, a public information officer for the park, keeps watch on the horizon, where the mountaintops meet the sky, looking for the glow of fire as she approaches her home in El Portal.

"The glow will tell you when it's time to leave."

The fire is four miles from El Portal, but Cobb and her neighbors have been put on notice that the fire is unpredictable.

The fire, sparked by a target shooter on private property, has cost $9 million to fight thus far, Cal Fire states.

More than 3,400 fire personnel are assigned to the blaze, along with about 400 fire engines, 71 hand crews, 59 dozers, 30 water tenders and 13 helicopters.

The Telegraph fire is the latest in a long line of blazes that have plagued the state over the past two months. A thunderstorm strike sparked more than 2,000 fires on June 20.

The fires scorched more than 1 million acres statewide and destroyed 170 homes, one commercial building and 166 outbuildings, according to Cal Fire.

More than 98 percent of the fires have been contained, but 27 fires continue to burn.

This story was compiled from reports by the Sacramento Bee, Los Angeles Times and Associated Press.