California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County near Yosemite National Park as the Oak Fire burned homes, forced thousands of people to evacuate, and closed roads, writes CNBC.

When Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday, the fire had burned more than 11,500 acres and forced more than 3,000 residents to evacuate, according to a written statement from the Governor’s office.

The Oak Fire had burned 16,791 acres and was 10% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

By acres burned, the Oak Fire is already the largest wildfire of 2022, according to public records from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

As dangerous as the Oak Fire wildfire is for those in its path of destruction, it is not yet close to the largest wildfire in the history of California. The August Complex fire in August 2020 burned more than one million acres and took 935 structures down, according to historical records maintained by California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Currently, 100% of the residents of Mariposa County are affected by a drought, according to the federal drought information service, which is run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. So far, 2022 is the driest year to date in Mariposa County for the 128 years for which there are records.