Firefighters deployed air tankers, bulldozers and hand crews to battle a fast-moving wildfire just west of Yosemite National Park on Sunday that suddenly and unpredictably grew into one of the largest fires of the year, forcing thousands of evacuations.

Fuelled by extreme heat and tinder-dry forests and underbrush, the Oak Fire that began on Friday closed within half a mile (0.8 km) from the town of Mariposa Pines but was still more than 10 miles (16 km) from Yosemite, famed for its giant, ancient sequoia trees.