The 2,000 residents of a small California town in the foothills flanking Yosemite National Park were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire that has already destroyed eight structures.
Residents of tiny Mariposa, in the Sierra Nevada mountains southwest of Yosemite in central California, were ordered to flee after flames from the so-called Detwiler Fire jumped over Highway 140 and marched toward the community, threatening 1,500 structures.
“Fire activity continued to grow throughout the night due to ample fuel, and steep terrain,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said on its tracking website. “Today firefighters expect unfavorable weather conditions and aggressive fire behavior.”
A photograph posted on social media showed empty downtown streets as an orange and pink glow from the fire hovered on the horizon. Downtown Mariposa had its power cut off, according to one reporter on…