The Rim fire, which continued to burn in the Stanislaus National Forest near Yosemite National Park for a 10th straigth day on Monday, has become the nation's largest active forest fire and is only 15 percent contained.
After scorching 234 square miles in Northern California, multiple mandatory and advisory evacuations were issued in the area northwest of the park.
At least 4,500 structures are threatened by the massive blaze, which is 20 miles from the iconic Yosemite Valley, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, reports the LA Times.
Overall, the fire was 15 percent contained as of Monday at 11:30 a.m. (local time), as the blaze moved to the east and northeast. Fire crews have been able to create a fire line at the Tuolumne River to keep the fire from spreading to the west.
So far 23 structures have been destroyed, and thousands more are threatened, including 1,600 homes in Tuolumne City at the northwestern edge of the fire, officials said.
The fire is still rated as having "extreme" growth potential, while more than 3,670 fire fighters are battling the blaze, reports USA Today.
Smoke is also an issue and visibility within the fire's perimeter is less than a mile, according to InciWeb, the federal fire information site.
Highway 120, one of the main roads into Yosemite National Park, has been closed to all inbound and outbound traffic.
The wildfire broke out Saturday at about 3 p.m. in the Stanislaus National Forest area. The cause remains under investigation.
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