SeeCalifornia.com

In these stunning photos taken by US Forest Service photographer Mike McMillan you can see firefighters carefully working their way through heat and smoke as towering trees are fully engulfed in flames.  Much of California has experienced near  100-degree heat into Labor Day Weekend 2013, but that’s nothing compared to what the fire crews are coping with!

A fire that began in Stanislaus National Forest (some hypothesize that illegal marijuana operations may have caused it because there was no apparent lightning in the area,) has become one of California’s largest fires in recorded history. As of this posting it is now the 4th biggest. But what grabbed world attention was the fire’s movement toward Yosemite National Park. It is a favorite for international tourists and Californians taking vacations. Even while smoke reached Yosemite Valley on Labor Day Weekend where the majority of  travelers stay, a park official was amazed that so many have kept their vacation plans and have filled the valley similar to other Labor Day holidays.  Visitors have been told to curtail strenuous activities due to the dangers of toxic smoke inhalation. During this holiday when they also hope to get award-winning pictures, most are capturing what looks like fog, obscuring those Ansel Adams Half Dome images they hoped for.   Though the website said it was slammed with requests, if you want to check out these incredible shots, we found them here: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/photograph/3660/17/