The Rim Fire had grown to nearly 180,000 acres by Tuesday morning, according to the National Forest Service, but firefighters have upped containment to 20 percent.
More than 3,600 firefighters are working to stop, or at least slow, the spread of flames as they creep through the Stanislaus National Forest near Yosemite.
Around 4,500 homes are threatened, according to Cal Fire.
Governor Jerry Brown visited a base camp at the fire Monday morning, and told reporters that he would not hesitate to contact President Obama if the state’s resources become exhausted.