The Latest: Motorist detained near wildfire’s starting point

LOS ANGELES – The Latest on wildfires burning in California (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

Authorities say a motorist has been detained near the starting point of a wildfire that exploded in size and prompted evacuation orders near a Southern California mountain town during a punishing heat wave.

California Highway Patrol Officer Darren Meyer says witnesses called 911 reporting a suspicious vehicle near the site the blaze began Wednesday in Riverside County.

Meyer says a male driver was pulled over a short time later and is being questioned by investigators.

The fire quickly burned nearly 2 square miles (5 square kilometres) of dry brush and timber. Residents near the resort town of Idyllwild are evacuated and roads are closed.

To the north, a wildfire in the San Francisco Bay Area has burned at least two homes in Clayton. Authorities say multiple structures are threatened.

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2:40 p.m.

As smoke from a nearby wildfire pours into Yosemite Valley, Tom Lambert has had to tell tourists who booked his vacation home months in advance that they would have to defer their dream stays so firefighters could take protective measures against the growing blaze.

The valley, the scenic heart of Yosemite National Park, was closed at noon Wednesday. Park spokesman Scott Gediman says the exodus was orderly and visitors are understanding of the decision to close.

Lambert says his disappointed guests include a father-daughter duo who planned a graduation trip a year in advance. Another guest had to delay plans to climb Half Dome.

He says the closure is a financial blow to his rental business.

Heavy smoke from the 60-square-mile (155-square-kilometre) fire is hanging over the valley, which normally bustles with summer visitors.

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2:30 p.m.

Evacuations have been ordered and a highway is closed as crews try to stop the spread of an out-of-control wildfire in Southern California’s San Jacinto Mountains.

The U.S. Forest Service says the blaze was reported Wednesday east of Hemet and quickly grew to 800 acres (323 hectares).

Authorities say residents near the mountain town of Idyllwild have been ordered to leave and State Route 74 is shut down. It wasn’t immediately known how many people are evacuated.

The fire in the San Bernardino National Forest has no containment.

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10:10 a.m.

The few remaining campers in Yosemite Valley are packing up tents and other gear before a closure goes into effect to clear the area for firefighters battling a wildfire near Yosemite National Park.

Officials say Yosemite Valley isn’t in imminent danger, but the closure is necessary to allow crews to perform protective measures such as burning away brush along roadways. Other parts of the park remain open.

The scenic valley will be off-limits starting at noon Wednesday and will likely remain closed through Sunday.

Heavy smoke from the 60-square-mile (155-square-kilometre) fire is hanging over the valley, which normally bustles with summer crowds.

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8 a.m.

Officials have ordered more mandatory evacuations as firefighters battle a growing wildfire near Yosemite National Park.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday that the blaze has burned 60 square miles (155 square kilometres). It is 25 per cent contained.

The new evacuations cover communities outside the park’s north side.

Authorities on Tuesday ordered visitors to leave all campsites and lodgings by noon Wednesday.

Park spokesman Scott Gediman says Yosemite Valley — the heart of the visitor experience at the park — along with a mountainous, 20-mile (32-kilometre) stretch of California’s State Route 41 will close.

He says the park isn’t under imminent danger from the nearby fire. Smoke from the blaze is obscuring the valley’s grand vistas of waterfalls and sheer granite faces.

The closure is expected to last through Sunday.

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12:00 a.m.

Disappointed tourists under evacuation orders are emptying campsites and lodges in the heart of Yosemite National Park, as firefighters battled to contain a huge wildfire just to the west.

Park spokesman Scott Gediman says Yosemite Valley — the heart of the visitor experience at the park — along with a mountainous, 20-mile (32-kilometre) stretch of California’s State Route 41 will close Wednesday at noon. The closure is expected to last through Sunday.

He says the park isn’t under imminent danger from the nearby fire. Officials decided on the closure to allow crews to perform protective measures such as burning away brush along roadways without having to deal with tourist traffic.

Smoke is obscuring the valley’s grand vistas of waterfalls and shear granite faces. The fire was 25 per cent contained Tuesday.