California's "Rim" wildfire, which has swelled to 165 square miles, crept into a remote section of Yosemite National Park on Friday, but Yosemite Valley is not threatened so far and the park remain opens to visitors.
Only 2 percent of the blaze, located mostly west of the park, has been contained, prompting Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant says the blaze threatens about 4,500 residences.
"Most of the fire activity is pushing to the east right into Yosemite," Berlant says.
The fire within the park is, for now, confined to a remote area around Lake Eleanor, says Bjorn Fredrickson, a fire spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
"There is no immediate threat to the valley at this time," he says.
While Yosemite remains open, the wildfire has caused the closure of a 4-mile stretch of State Route 120, one of three entrances into Yosemite on the west side, devastating areas that rely on tourism.
The U.S. Forest Service says 2,011 firefighters using nine helicopters are battling the fire.
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