A wildfire outside a US national park has more than tripled in size, shutting down businesses in surrounding communities and leading scores of tourists to leave the area during peak season.
California governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Thursday because of the huge fire in Yosemite National Park, one of several blazes burning in or near the nation's national parks and one of 50 major uncontained fires burning across the western US.
Fire officials said the blaze near Yosemite, which threatens several thousand homes, hotels and camp buildings, had grown to more than 207 sq kilometres and was only 2 per cent contained on Thursday, down from 5 per cent a day earlier. Two homes and seven outbuildings have been destroyed.
While the park remains open, the blaze has caused the closure of a 6km stretch of State Route 120, one of three entrances into Yosemite on the west side, devastating areas that live off of park-fuelled tourism.
Officials have advised voluntary evacuations of the gated summer community of Pine Mountain Lake, population 2800, other area residences, several organised camps and at least two campgrounds. More homes, businesses and hotels are threatened in nearby Groveland, a community of 600 about 7km from the fire and 40km from the entrance of Yosemite.
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"Usually during summer, it's swamped with tourists, you can't find parking downtown," said Christina Wilkinson, who runs Groveland's social media pages and lives in Pine Mountain Lake. "Now, the streets are empty. All we see is firefighters, emergency personnel and fire trucks."
Though Wilkinson said she and her husband are staying put - for now - many area businesses have closed and people who had vacation rental homes are cancelling plans, local business owners said.
"This fire, it's killing our financial picture," said Corinna Loh, whose family owns the still-open Iron Door Saloon and Grill in Groveland. "This is our high season and it has gone to nothing, we're really hurting."
Loh said most of her employees have left town. And the family's Spinning Wheel Ranch, where they rent cabins to tourists, has also been evacuated because it's directly in the line of fire.
Park officials said the fire has not affected the park itself.
Yosemite Valley is clear of smoke, all accommodations and attractions are open, and campgrounds are full, said park spokesman Scott Gediman. During summer weekdays, the park gets up to 15,000 visitors.
