Yosemite Valley To Close For Several Days As Crews Battle Ferguson Fire

AWAHNEE (CBS13/AP) - California authorities will shut down Yosemite Valley for several days as crews try to stop a stubborn and growing wildfire from spreading into Yosemite National Park.

The Fresno Bee reports park Superintendent Michael Reynolds told a community meeting that a 20-mile (32-kilometer) stretch of State Route 41 will close beginning Wednesday at noon. The closure is expected to last through Sunday.

Both Yosemite Valley and Wawona will close, officials said. All hotels, campgrounds and visitor centers will be closed.

People currently in park campgrounds are being asked to leave by noon on Wednesday.

Over nearly two weeks, flames have churned through more than 57 square miles (147.6 square kilometers) of timber in steep terrain of the Sierra Nevada just west of the park. The fire was just 25 percent contained Tuesday morning.

Mandatory evacuations are in place in several communities while others have been told to get ready to leave if necessary.

Highway 120 in both directions remains open. The Tuolumne Meadows area also remains open.

Copyright 2018, The Associated Press