Wildfire shuts thoroughfare near Yosemite National Park

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire burning near the west end of Yosemite National Park and the Sierra National Forest has closed a thoroughfare in the area.

Officials said Saturday that Highway 140 was closed from Midpines to El Portal due to the wildfire.

The fire began Friday evening. Officials at Sierra National Forest tweeted that it had burned about 130 acres (52.61 hectares) by Saturday afternoon.

The National Parks Service said visitors planning to travel from Mariposa or Merced should use an alternate route.

They said power in Yosemite Valley had also been affected because power lines had been turned off as firefighters work to quell the blaze.