The Santa Barbara County Fire Department is sending a strike team to help battle a wildfire that is raging near Yosemite National Park.
The team, made up of a battalion chief and five engines, was dispatched to the Junction Fire, which was burning near the town of Oakhurst west of Yosemite, and had charred at least 500 acres, according to Calfire.
The blaze, which broke out shortly before 2 p.m., has prompted Madera County officials to order the evacuation of more than 1,500 homes in the foothill community east of Fresno, according to the Merced-Sun Star.
Two homes were burned and some 300 others were threatened, the newspaper reported on its website.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.