Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

Fire rages unchecked near Yosemite

(07-28) 04:00 PDT Mariposa -- A 26,000-acre wildfire raged out of control Sunday night in steep and rugged canyons 12 miles west of Yosemite, destroying 12 homes and threatening the tiny town of Midpines as firefighters braced for volatile weather conditions during the coming days.

The fire, burning just northwest of Midpines and 2 miles northeast of the town of Mariposa, forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes, threatened thousands more homes, caused a power outage in the Yosemite Valley, and was threatening the water supply for the Mariposa Utility District, authorities said.