LOS ANGELES, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Heart of U.S. Yosemite National Park, one of the most visited national parks located in the western U.S. state of California, was reopened to the public Tuesday as more than 900 firefighters are still struggling to contain a huge wildfire nearby.
Yosemite Valley is open, but only accessible by entering Yosemite via Highways 140 or 120, according to the latest update of the Yosemite National Park. Glacier Point Road and Merced Grove remain closed. Other areas of the park, including Wawona, Mariposa Grove, Hetch Hetchy, and Tuolumne Meadows are open.
Sections of the National Park, including its heart, Yosemite Valley, has been closed to visitors since July 25, due to impacts from the blaze, dubbed "Ferguson Fire." Some of the most scenic locations of the park are in the Yosemite Valley.
The destructive fire didn't reach the heart of the park, but it burned in remote areas, making roads inaccessible, choking the park with smoke and forcing the Yosemite Valley and other areas to be closed along with hundreds of campsites and hotels. Thousands of tourists from all over the world have to cancel their lodging reservations due to the closure of the park.
Ferguson Fire has burned 96,606 acres (around 390 square km) as of Tuesday morning with containment rising to 86 percent. A total of 910 personnel are battling the blaze on the scene, aided by 51 engines and 3 helicopters, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, glaciers, biological diversity and so on. Some 4 million visitors flock to the park each year.
