Wildfire at Park Threatens San Francisco’s Water and Power Supply
The colossal wildfire that ravaged the western region of Yosemite National Park grew further on Sunday. The further growth of devastation made it mandatory to evacuate some of the camps present in the area. Heavy smoke made it unbearable for the camps to hold on to their positions.
The Sunday blaze entered with 3.2km of one main reservoir which is the source of water for the most part of San Francisco. The Rim Fire has already burned around 54,000 hectare. This is the reason behind closing the area of the park that had the White Wolf. According to Tom Medema who spoke to theglobeandmail.com, 13 out of 74 camps in the western part of the part were evacuated. Mr Medema is the spokesperson of the park.
The flames consumed about 4,850 hectares in Yosemite which is well known for scenic wonders like giant sequoia groves and waterfalls. Mr Medema further informed that the fire did not pose any eminent risk. On the other hand, the smoke seemed more troublesome in the area. That was why the camps were evacuated. Even though the number of people evacuated was unknown, one of those camps was occupied by 25 people.
Meanwhile, the park officials declared that they were in no mood to shut the entire park down. They did not have any plans to restrict people from enjoying the top attractions of the park either.
San Francisco was threatened by the fire to suffer from the dearth of water and power supply. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is responsible for 85 per cent of the water supply of the city. The fire reached within a couple of miles from the reservoir. Even though there were alarming signs that the water might get contaminated with ash, it has been informed that the water in the reservoir remains to be clear.
Two other power structures were threatened by the fire as well. These power structures are responsible for the electricity facility of San Francisco. Necessary repairs were scheduled to be held on Sunday by utility crews. The good news is that the power supply of the city is yet to be interrupted despite the major fire in the park.