A surging wildfire has raced through Californian mountains and foothills west of Yosemite National Park, forcing thousands to flee tiny, Gold Rush-era towns and wafting a smoky haze over the park's landmark Half Dome rock face.
The four-day-old blaze nearly doubled in size from about 100sqkm to more than 180sqkm on Wednesday.
Yosemite, where campgrounds are open for the busy summer season, does not appear at risk from the fire, which is moving south, away from the park, authorities say.
The blaze has forced more than 4000 people from homes in and around half-a-dozen small communities.
Heavy smoke hung in the air over Mariposa, a town of 2000 with century-old wooden buildings.
Record rain and snowfall in the mountains in winter abruptly ended California's five-year drought but that has increased the challenge for crews battling flames feeding on dense vegetation.
Statewide, about 6000 firefighters were battling 17 large wildfires, including about 2200 at the fire near Yosemite.
In Nevada, firefighters have a handle on a wind-driven wildfire that destroyed four homes and damaged several more.
