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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Photo: Yosemite waterfall lights up like fire

Yosemite National Park's Horsetail Falls glows like a lavafall as the sun sets on Feb. 24, 2016. (Hillary Landers)
Yosemite National Park's Horsetail Falls glows like a lavafall as the sun sets on Feb. 24, 2016. (Hillary Landers)

WATERFALLS -- Always the light of my life, my favorite youngest daughter, Hillary, brightened my morning with this photo she snapped as daylight waned Wednesday where she works in Yosemite National Park, California.

Last night, the sunset hit Horsetail Falls just right so that it look like it was on fire. It is a phenomenon that happens only during two weeks in February, and only if there is enough water in horsetail falls. Pretty cool!

Tons of people are coming to Yosemite to watch the "Firefall" or "Lavafall."

Up until 1960, rangers would shove a bonfire off the edge of Glacier Point every day at 9 p.m. Now people say that for two weeks a year, the "firefall" lives on!

Some people drive hours to come witness this phenomenon - I made it a nice scenic picnic stop on my way home from work yesterday!



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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