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Fire Closes Highway 140 Near Yosemite National Park

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (CBS / AP) -- One of the main entrances into Yosemite National Park is closed as a wildfire burns just outside the park.

Officials say the blaze has consumed about 400 acres along Highway 140 since it was first reported a little before 1 p.m. Thursday.

The California Highway Patrol has closed the highway for a stretch of nearly 15 miles from just outside the park entrance to an area known as the "Octagon." The CHP could not say when the highway would be open again.

U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea said the fire started just outside the park near the community of El Portal. No homes are considered to be threatened, but officials have issued what Florea describes as a "precautionary evacuation" to residents in the tiny community.

Florea said about 250 firefighters are battling the blaze, with more on the way.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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