A wildfire near Yosemite National Park, California, has forced at least 1,000 people to evacuate their homes, Tuesday.
Officials said that the humidity and calmer winds helped the fighters gain some control over the fire. Around 600 fire-fighters were deployed, the Madera County Sheriff's Office said.
The fire in Madera County was under 2 square miles, it damaged eight structures and nearly 500 homes around Oakhurst were threatened, fire and sheriff's officials said, reports the Associated Press.
More firefighters were brought in to control the fire that began a day earlier and was fueled by gusty winds and dry brush, with embers flying ahead up to half a mile. The national park was unharmed, officials said.
"We're not seeing the fire expand like we thought," Madera County Sheriff John Anderson said.
The cause of fire remains unknown.
At least 1,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes and 4,000 more were told to prepare to leave their homes, sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart said.
The fire left many worried about their homes. "There is nothing you can do when a fire is raging," 67-year-old Oakhurst resident Clement Williams told AP. "You just have to flee. It's a real sinking feeling."
Michelle Perira, 18, did not know whether her home was safe. "They can't tell for sure," she said, reports The Los Angeles Times. "But they think they see a roof. Our house could be there or our house could be gone."
According to the Agence France-Presse, in July, a firestorm threatened a grove of famous giant sequoia trees in Yosemite that attracts several million visitors every year. Last year, an enormous wildfire, the third largest in Californian history, chewed through a swath of the park, burning more than 10926 ha.
