Why Yosemite’s Oak fire is burning with such ferocity – explained

The blaze forced more than 3,000 people to evacuate and exploded to 17,000 acres seemingly overnight - what made it so devastating?

The raging Oak fire burning near Yosemite national park has forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 people and offered an alarming look at what could be another devastating year for wildfire in California.

The state had been experiencing a slower start to the traditional fire season, but the Oak fire - which has exploded to 17,000 acres since breaking out on Friday - appears to have brought an end to that, tweeted Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA.