Yosemite wildfire moving east into Sierra National Forest

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire that threatened a grove of California's giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park was burning eastward into the Sierra National Forest on Wednesday.

The Washburn Fire is one of dozens of blazes chewing through drought-parched terrain in the Western U.S. It has increased in size to more than 5.8 square miles (15 square kilometers), pushing containment from 22% down to 17%.

“As the fire grew our containment went down,” said Nancy Philippe, a fire information spokesperson.

Firefighting preparations had already been underway in the national forest.

“We've brought in Sierra National Forest folks from the get-go, kind of anticipating that this may happen,” Philippe said.

Containment lines within the park, including along the edge of the grove, were holding, firefighting operations official Matt Ahearn said in a video briefing.

The fire had been entirely within the national park since breaking out July 7, when visitors to the Mariposa Grove of ancient sequoias reported smoke.

Authorities have not said how the fire started and whether it involved a crime or some type of accident.

Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon told a community meeting this week that it was considered a “human-start fire” because there was no lightning that day.

Philippe said a park ranger who is a trained investigator was on the scene almost immediately when the fire was reported, and a law enforcement team continues to investigate.

Philippe said she believed they had found the point of ignition, but declined to release further information, citing the active investigation.

The fire in the southern portion of Yosemite forced evacuation of hundreds of visitors and residents from the small community of Wawona, but the rest of the park has remained open to...