Spreading

San Francisco Declares State of Emergency

Wildfire is threatening city's power, water.

The barely-contained wildfire that spread into Yosemite National Park earlier this week now has its sights set on San Francisco. Don't worry, the city isn't about to be engulfed in flames—at least not yet. But its utilities, some of which are located close to Yosemite, were threatened enough by Friday that California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for the city on Friday afternoon. The 200-square-mile Rim Fire had already damaged some of the electrical infrastructure that supplies power to the Bay Area by the time Brown made his declaration. What's more, 85 percent of the region's water comes from a reservoir just four miles from the fire. About 2,700 firefighters are working to contain the flames.