[caption id="attachment_69189" align="aligncenter" width="624"] yosemite fire cost now exceeds $5 million[/caption]California Wildfire Spreading East into Yellowstone National Park

25 years after the worst wildfire in Yellowstone history burned a third of the park, another wildfire threatens Yellowstone National Park. The wildfire, located in Northern California has grown to over 165 square miles and is now invading Yellowstone as the fire spreads eastward. Small tourist towns surrounding Yellowstone have been asked to evacuate. The fire threatens the homes of thousands of residents while also threatening the financial stability of the small towns as well.

The California Dept. of Forestry and Fire protection are working diligently trying to contain the fast spreading fire, but at this time only about 2 percent of the fire is contained. The Governor of Tuolumne County is requesting federal disaster relief in hope of helping to alleviate some of the financial costs for the firefighters.

Although the fire is now spreading into Yellowstone National Park, the valley itself still remains safe and the park still remains open.

Local residents said the area, normally teeming with tourists, is now empty.

"This fire, it's killing our financial picture," restaurant owner Corinna Loh told the Associated Press. "This is our high season and it has gone to nothing, we're really hurting."

"We've got a monster on our hands," Lee Bentley of the US Forest Service told CBS News.

"This fire is making its own weather. It's going every which direction. This is one of the worst I've ever been on. I've been doing it for quite a few years."

According to the LA Times, the cost of fighting the fire, which has been burning since Saturday afternoon, had exceeded $5 million as of Thursday.

State Routes 140, 41 and State Route 120 are still viable access points for anyone entering or exiting the National park. Yosemite County’s tourism bureau is working on helping all the tourists in need of new housing to find accommodations until the firefighters can contain “The Beast”.

On The Web:
Wildfire near Yosemite park sends tourists fleeing

yosemite fire
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23806626

Rim fire near Yosemite National Park grows to more than 105,000 acres
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rim-fire-yosemite-national-park-20130823,0,3047980.story