Evacuation Orders Lifted For Some Sierra Nevada Communities

California fire being increasingly controlled

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Crews have pushed forward with building containment lines around the wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park as authorities lift evacuation orders and advisories for several Sierra Nevada communities once threatened by the massive blaze.

Officials said they still are investigating the cause of the fire, which started 18 days ago in an isolated area of the Stanislaus National Forest and has burned nearly 370 square miles — the fourth biggest recorded wildfire in California.