By Rick Hurd
Yosemite - The Mariposa Grove (click here) in Yosemite National Park remained closed Friday afternoon as a wildfire that ignited Thursday near the lower portion of the popular destination continued to expand, fire officials said.
The Washburn Fire had increased to 250 acres by late Friday morning, according to a statement from Yosemite Fire officials. There was no estimate on containment of the fire.
The fire was first reported on the park’s the Washburn Trail — for which the fire was then named — in the Mariposa Grove’s lower section on Thursday around 2 p.m. by 911 callers, according to Nancy Phillipe, a Yosemite fire information spokesperson. Its cause remains under investigation.
Authorities evacuated the area and firefighters were battling the blaze with engines, crews and aircraft....
