As the sun rose over the Sierra Nevada foothills, it appeared burnt orange through hazy skies in Mariposa County.
Since Friday, the Oak fire has consumed more than 18,000 acres of the sparsely populated mountain community. And by Tuesday morning, the blaze, located near Yosemite National Park, had destroyed 41 structures and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
But California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials are hoping that an end is in sight. Crews were still putting out hot spots and providing structure defense Tuesday.
Firefighters put out hotspots from the Oak fire along Darrah Road near Mariposa on Tuesday.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Charred remains of a home after the Oak fire raged through the mountains near Mariposa on Tuesday.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Oak fire in a mountainous area near Mariposa on Tuesday.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
An air tanker drops retardant while trying to stop the Oak Fire from progressing in Mariposa County on Sunday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
The sun sinks behind a smoky sky and burned forest at the Oak Fire on near Mariposa, California on Sunday.
(DAVID MCNEW / AFP )
A firefighter watches the Oak fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County on Saturday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Flames from the Oak fire consume a home on Triangle Road on Saturday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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The Oak Fire burns behind a scorched pickup truck in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Sunday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A firefighter battles the fast-moving Oak fire on Saturday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A helicopter drops water on the Oak fire.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Destroyed property is left in the Oak fire’s wake as it chews through the forest near Midpines, northeast of Mariposa, on Saturday.
(David McNew / AFP/Getty Images)
Firefighter Joanna Jimenez holds a dog she found wandering in an evacuation zone as the Oak fire burns in Mariposa County on Saturday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A home burns as the Oak fire moves through the area near Mariposa on Saturday.
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
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A firefighter battles the Oak fire as it crosses Darrah Road in Mariposa County on Friday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Flames leap from trees as the Oak Ffre crosses Darrah Road in Mariposa County Friday.
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