Dry Weekend Weather May Slow Rim Fire Containment

Firefighters battling California's Rim Fire continue to make progress as the blaze enters its second week of burning, aided by two days of favorable weather that have enabled crews to get the fire 32 percent contained, but the fire is still taking a toll on the environment and the economy.

Still, the fire expanded for its 14th consecutive day, reaching 201,894 acres (about 315 square miles), an area larger than New York City, Chicago or Kansas City, Mo.

More than three-quarters of the wildfire burns in the Stanislaus National Forest west of Yosemite National Park, but at least 40,000 acres have burned within Yosemite itself.

The majority of Yosemite remains unaffected and open to the public, but road closures and a general wariness of the fire may limit the park's visitors over the holiday weekend. The economic consequences of the fire, which has cost California at least $20 million, are starting to materialize on the ground as well.

"We're laying off just about everybody, something like 45 employees," Chris Loh, owner of the Iron Door Saloon in Groveland, a gateway town 20 miles of Yosemite, told Reuters on Thursday.

"This is devastating for not just the businesses but the employees and the community," he told Reuters.

Warmer and drier weather is expected over the weekend, which may set back containment efforts and slow burnout progress, the Inciweb fire information system reported Friday.

"I can't say we've turned a corner just yet, but we are making very good progress," U.S. Forest Service spokesman Dick Fleishman told Reuters. "We're going to keep chugging away."