A huge wildfire near Yosemite National Park in California has forced scores of tourists to flee during peak season and is threatening thousands of homes.
The week-old Rim Fire more than tripled in size on Thursday and now spans at least 84 square miles (217 sq km).
More than 1,300 firefighters have been tackling the blaze in difficult terrain but have contained only 1% of it.
California’s governor has declared a state of emergency because of the fire, one of 50 burning in the western US.
The blaze has not reached Yosemite itself, which remains open, officials say.
But it has shut a stretch of motorway that is one of three entrances to the west side of the park, which receives up to 15,000 visitors a day in the summer.
Source: BBC
