Fast-moving Oak Fire near Yosemite is belching smoke. Will it choke Fresno area?

The smoke from the Oak Fire in Mariposa County could spread to the Fresno area by Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

The fast-moving Oak Fire burned an estimated 6,555 acres by Saturday morning after igniting the day before.

Cal Fire said the wildfire was still 0% contained Saturday. The blaze is threatening an estimated 2,000 structures, destroyed 10 and damaged five, Cal Fire reported.

The fire had grown so big in such a short amount of time that a pyrocumulus cloud formed Friday afternoon and could be seen more than 120 miles away from the Bay Area and from outer space via a camera on the international space station.

Meteorologist Felix Castro said winds have been variable with no “definite direction” but winds will be steady from the northwest that will bring smoke to the Fresno area.

Smoke was hovering over Yosemite National Park on Saturday, Castro said. Winds from the southwest brought smoke to the area. The smoke was also blowing toward the northeast in Mariposa County to the Chowchilla Mountains.

Though the wildfire is just 30 miles from Oakhurst, the town did not have smoke, Castro said.

The smoke is expected to linger in the Fresno area until Monday when wind direction is forecast to change from the west and move to the east, Castro said.

As of Saturday afternoon, the air quality in Fresno was moderate with a reading of 60. Castro said that can change on Sunday with the potential of smoke in the area.