The Rim Fire was a major wildfire that began on August 17, 2013, in the Stanislaus National Forest and spread through rugged Sierra Nevada backcountry, including a large section of Yosemite National Park. Fueled by hot, dry, windy conditions, severe drought, and decades of dense combustible growth, it quickly became the largest recorded wildfire in the Sierra Nevada at the time and Yosemite’s largest recorded fire. More than 5,000 firefighters battled it for months as it destroyed 112 structures, threatened the Hetch Hetchy system and nearby communities, and blanketed the region in smoke. It was contained in late October and declared extinguished on November 4, 2014.