California wildfires creep toward Yosemite

The so-called Ferguson Fire slowly makes its way toward the boundary of Yosemite National Park.

A fierce California wildfire crept toward the boundary of Yosemite National Park on Tuesday (July 17) as crews fought through steep, often inaccessible terrain and thick smoke to protect a string of small mountain communities in the path of the flames.

The so-called Ferguson Fire, which started on Friday night and killed a firefighter the following day, had charred nearly 19 square miles (49 square kilometers) by Tuesday afternoon and was burning just a few miles (km) outside the park.

"The fire continues to grow," fire spokeswoman Adrienne Freeman said. "There's a lot of vegetation and it's very, very dry, there's a significant amount of beetle kill (in the trees)."

"The story is, this is steep terrain," Freeman said. "You would have a difficult time walking on some of these slopes or getting people into these canyons. There are a lot of places where we simply cannot put people because it's not safe."

State Route 140, a western entry point into Yosemite, remained closed by the flames. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the conflagration.