A wildfire the size of Chicago burning into Yosemite National Park was 7 percent contained Monday as thousands of firefighters tried to get it under control, UPI reported. The massive, fierce Rim fire in California's central Sierra Nevada region -- one of the largest fires in California history -- devoured more than 144,000 acres, or 225 square miles, as of late Sunday and was only one ridge line away from foothill communities around Tuolumne City, about 60 miles northeast of Modesto. Firefighters said the Rim fire was so hot it could propel sparks more than a mile and a half -- possibly allowing the fire to jump lines and start new hot spots. About 3,000 firefighters from across the state and as far away as Florida were prepared to defend homes and other buildings from the fire, which started Aug. 17 in the Stanislaus National Forest east of Groveland. The state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection deployed nine helicopters.
