By Diana Marcum and Kurt Streeter
GROVELAND, Calif. -- One of the largest wildfires in recent California history burned out of control in and around Yosemite National Park on Saturday, charring more than 125,000 acres, briefly threatening San Francisco’s power supply and frustrating firefighters' efforts to contain it.
The fast-moving fire has doubled in size since Thursday night and remains only 5% contained, with steep terrain, warm weather and low humidity hampering firefighting efforts. Adding to the difficulty is the blaze's tendency to burn the tops of trees, creating a “crown fire†with long, intense flames that skip across forested land faster than a wildfire that creeps along near the ground.
Assisted by trench-digging bulldozers and water-dropping aircraft, more than 2,600 firefighters were battling the fire. Crews worked Saturday to keep the fire away from buildings at Camp Mather, just north of Highway 120 .
“If you can’t stop a fire, you try to divert it,†said Cal Fire spokesman Johnny Miller. On Saturday, the fire jumped a trench cut by bulldozers three times, but firefighters and hot-shot crews were holding the line.
With temperatures in the upper-60s and continued low humidity, the fire's march through rugged, hard-to-reach terrain remained virtually unchecked. Fire officials said no containment date had been set.
The fire has destroyed nine structures and threatened about 5,500 others since it erupted last Saturday. One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion, but no other injuries were reported.
Firefighters were able to gain containment of an area Saturday near the Hetch Hetchy water and power system, which supplies electricity and water for San Francisco. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has been forced to shut down two of its three hydroelectric power stations because of the fire.
Utility crews were allowed access to the stations to asses the damage, said Michael Carlin, a deputy general manager with the commission.
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