June 17--MARIPOSA COUNTY -- A nearly 1,000-acre, wind-whipped wildfire burning near one of the main entrances to Yosemite Valley is threatening 150 homes, officials said.
The Carstens Fire started Sunday afternoon near Midpines (Mariposa County), a tiny town of "rugged foothills" about 35 miles west of Yosemite Valley, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The blaze burned near Highway 140, one of the three main entrances into Yosemite Valley, sending smoke over the busy roadway and threatening 150 homes in the rural areas of Hites Cove, Jerseydale, Clarks Valley and Scott Road, Berlant said. The 900-acre fire remains just 15 percent contained and is burning east into the Sierra National Forest.
"It started Sunday after 2 p.m. and quickly spread with the gusty winds we had in that area," Berlant said. Gusts reached 20 mph on Monday.
The Red Cross has set up a shelter in Mariposa.
Faint traces of smoke could be seen in Yosemite Valley, said Scott Gediman, a Yosemite spokesman.
"You can smell it, it is a little smoky here in Yosemite Valley," Gediman said. "But you can still see Half Dome, you can still see the falls."
More than 700 firefighters are using 143 fire engines, 21 bulldozers and two helicopters to control the blaze, Berlant said.
A dry winter and spring means grass and brush in the area were as good as kindling, Berlant said.
"This year the conditions are very dry across California and that's why we seeing these fires just exploding when they break out," Berlant said. "These are conditions you would see in late August and September."
Will Kane is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @WillKane
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