The wildfire raging inside Yosemite National Park quadrupled in size today, scorching more than 2,500 acres and moving closer to popular campgrounds, authorities said.

This evening, a plume of black smoke blanketed the Half Dome peak, a popular rock formation.

"The entire park is very dry," said Yosemite National Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb. "The fire danger is very dry."

More than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze, known as the Meadow Fire. The fire was sparked by lightning and has been burning for several weeks in the backcountry.

The terrain is so rugged though, they had to fight it almost entirely by air. Firefighters did get some relief, however, from scattered showers.

Hikers trying to reach the summit of Half Dome peak were terrified - and then stranded - when the fire broke out.

"It was raging, right on the opposite side of the mountain," one hiker said. "As soon as the wind was catching it, the flames were something like 200 feet high. It was pretty scary."

All 85 hikers had to be airlifted to safety Sunday, including Brendan Fromm, as their families waited anxiously.

"It was nerve-wracking because we didn't know what was going on," he said. "It was definitely a large fire. It was not safe to be walking down through the trail."

(Yosemite National Park)