The nations’ fifth most visited national park, Yosemite, is turning into an apocalyptic version of mars, according to visitors and nearby residents.<\/p>\n
The historic California Creek Fire continues to burn, having claimed 152,900 acres so far. As it burns towards the south, smoke is making its way to the national park. The blaze has been growing out of control since September 4th.<\/p>\n
Of all the parks hit, Yosemite has been among the worst. Based on photos shared across social media and the news, the parks’ once magnificent views are turning red and ominous.<\/p>\n
Mason<\/a>, a park visitor, tweeted: \u201cThere\u2019s been many trips to Yosemite, but I\u2019ve never seen it look so apocalyptic.\u201d Another user, Naureen Malik<\/a>, agreed, writing: “Rained ashes all day. It looked like sunset on Mars for 7 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Ansel Adams Wilderness, another park to the southeast border of Yosemite, is also turning grim. Hiker Asha Karim<\/a> tweeted about her time spent in the park right after the fires started making their way down. She stated, “As we started in on the first 5 miles smoke started growing thicker, the skies darker. It became harder and harder to breathe. By the time we reached our first overlook, the thunder began rolling from the expanding smoke cloud overhead.”<\/p>\n “[We] climbed up the ridge through thick smoke, blood-red skies,” she added.<\/p>\n National park leaders had not issued an evacuation order for visitors. Many campers and hikers still evacuated quickly as conditions began to worsen.<\/p>\n