Take a Virtual Flight Through Yosemite’s Fire Zone

This Google Earth tour shows you where the blaze is burning—and what’s at stake.

Al Golub/ZUMA

 

Several weeks ago, a fire started in California’s pristine and wild Stanislaus National Forest, about 150 miles east of San Francisco, close to Yosemite National Park. By August 19, the blaze, known as the Rim Fire, was doubling in size every day. On August 27, it was 180,000 acres, bigger than the city of Chicago. Some 3,700 firefighters have used 460 fire engines, 60 bulldozers, and 15 helicopters to try to control it. And it’s still growing.

Watch the video above for a Google Earth bird’s-eye view of the areas that are threatened by the fire. Read more about what makes the Rim Fire an especially scary wildfire here.

 

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