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Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park

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Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park

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Old Jul 31st, 2018, 04:09 PM
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There's a video briefing for today, I can't get the link to post, try logging into Facebook and entering https://www. and then
facebook.com/SierraNF/videos/2228141814123086/

Still some issues around El Portal Foresta and Yosemite West. They firing along Wawona Road is proceeding.

Some of the delays are due to weather conditions which are delaying firing the buffers as well as smoke impacts.

Another Air Quality Map

https://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?act...20180730&tab=1

Last edited by mlgb; Jul 31st, 2018 at 04:25 PM.
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Old Aug 1st, 2018, 08:46 AM
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YNP has now added Hetch Hetchy to the areas closed to visitors because of the poor air quality.

These areas remain closed indefinitely because of fire operations - Highway 41, the South Entrance, Wawona, Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point Road.

Big Oak Flat entrance, Tioga Road, Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Pass Entrance are open.

The fire is now 62,883 acres with 39% containment

Two more firefighters have been injured.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/592

Firefighters are setting back fires along the Wawona Road, toward Wawona Campground and working to contain the fire as it spreads southeast from El Portal, and scouting locations to build more lines to contain the fire, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Forestry.

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local...215899835.html


If you are visiting California, please be aware that your car is very hot underneath. Don't drive on or park on dry grass verges. The dry grass and chapparal will catch fire very easily.

Here is an interesting article from the LA Times pointing out that the common element in all these fires is increased heat in California

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...731-story.html

Last edited by Barbara; Aug 1st, 2018 at 08:59 AM.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2018, 12:14 PM
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The fire grew by 5.727 acres overnight.

The fire is now 68,610 acres with 39% containment and 3,344 personnel that are currently engaged on the fire which include 145 engines, 45 water tenders, 14 helicopters, 88 crews, 5 masticators and 49 dozers. There have been 2 fatalities and 11 injuries to date. 10 structures has been destroyed.

The Big Oak Flat entrance to the Park is now closed due to firing operations. This means the only open entrance is at the Tioga Pass, accessed from Highway 395 at Lee Vining.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/


Spot fires prompted a precautionary evacuation of Wawona on Wednesday evening as firefighters began constructing a containment line at Big Creek, according to a national forest spokesman.

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local...215970295.html
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Old Aug 3rd, 2018, 10:14 AM
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The Fire has now crossed the boundary into Yosemite National Park

https://abc30.com/ferguson-fire-has-...-park/3864890/


The fire is now 73,560 acres with 41% containment and 2,845 personnel that are currently engaged on the fire which include 136 engines, 50 water tenders, 14 helicopters, 66 crews, 5 masticators and 38 dozers. There have been 2 fatalities and 11 injuries to date. 10 structures have been destroyed.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/

Full containment is still expected by August 15.
Yosemite Valley is still closed until at least Sunday, August 5.
The only gate to the Park still open is Tioga Pass.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2018, 08:38 PM
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Several spot fires sprang up around Wawona yesterday. Today, spot fires jumped the containment line and highway 41 near the junction with Glacier Point Road and advanced towards Badger Pass.

Earlier in the day, another spot fire jumped the Merced River and is burning in the Crane Creek drainage southwest of Floresta.

An evacuation order was issued for Yosemite Valley due to a power outage and because only one exit from the Park remains open because of smoke and the unpredictable fire..The Valley is not in immediate danger. Many Park employees had stayed in the Valley.

Evacuation orders were reissued for Cedar Lodge and other areas from which they had been lifted in the last day or so. The winds are changing and there is concern that the fire could double back to those areas.

The fire is 77,207 acres and is 41% contained.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/

https://abc30.com/ferguson-fire-move...ay-41/3876895/

Ferguson Fire Near Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County Friday Evening, August 3, 2018 Update: 77,207 Acres with 41% Containment
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Old Aug 4th, 2018, 07:53 AM
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Barbara. Thank you for the updates. Very much appreciated.
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Old Aug 4th, 2018, 10:28 AM
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MichelleY, thanks. I feel so bad for the thousands of people who were looking forward to seeing Yosemite for the first time and the thousands of return visitors who love the Park. Here's a link to an article in today's LA Times. It has some lovely descriptions of the Park with no humans and touches on the effect of the closure on neighboring communities.

Fire siege leaves Yosemite empty of humans, filled with smoke during peak summer season

This morning's update has the fire now at 80,755 acres and the containment down to 36%.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/

While this thread is about the Ferguson fire, spare a thought for the people affected by the much bigger Carr fire,141,825 acres and the enormous Mendocino Complex fire, 201,471 acres.
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Old Aug 4th, 2018, 10:36 AM
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The smoke seems to go all the way to mammoth mountain. Take a look at the Summit cam there.

https://www.mammothmountain.com/cams/summit-cam

You should be seeing spectacular views of miles and miles of mountain peaks.
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Old Aug 4th, 2018, 05:26 PM
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That is ugly, Barbara. Even when the fire is "contained" there will probably still be fire inside the lines so Air Quality and visibility will be poor, depending on the weather and wind

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/air/webcams.htm?site=yose

https://tools.airfire.org/outlooks/YosemiteArea
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Old Aug 4th, 2018, 05:49 PM
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The smoke from the fires in CA blew into the Denver area this week. The air quality wasn't great and we could smell the smoke. I thought another fire had popped up in Colorado until I saw the news. I hope CA catches a break soon and gets some rain.
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Old Aug 4th, 2018, 08:44 PM
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Some friends are in Yellowstone right now and the smoke from our fires can be seen there.
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Old Aug 4th, 2018, 09:02 PM
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>>I hope CA catches a break soon and gets some rain.
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Old Aug 5th, 2018, 08:43 AM
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No rain today. Down here in San Diego, it's HOT. Rain would be a treat.

The Ferguson fire is now 89,633 acres and is 35% contained.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/

As mlgb pointed out, even when there is full containment, there will still be a lot burning within those lines. Like coloring inside the lines.

Structure protection continues in Yosemite West and as of this morning’s report, no structures have been lost.

There is reported to be a hard closure on the Glacier Point Road due to intense fire activity. The fire is now well established in the south fork of Grouse Creek. All firefighters and support personnel were evacuated from the fire camp at Badger Pass yesterday.

https://sierranewsonline.com/ferguso...y-90000-acres/

The closures in Yosemite will be reviewed today, but given the spread of the fire and that the Valley is still under a mandatory evacuation order, I don't think there will be any change for at least a few more days. If you were planning to be there tomorrow, I'd make alternative plans.

Last edited by Barbara; Aug 5th, 2018 at 08:49 AM.
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Old Aug 5th, 2018, 11:52 AM
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YNP has changed the web site, removed any date at all for possible re-opening and just says "until further notice".

Tioga Pass gate is still open.
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Old Aug 6th, 2018, 08:53 AM
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The fire now covers 91,502 acres and is 38% contained.

A large portion of Yosemite National Park remains open. Tioga Road from Tioga Pass to White Wolf is open to all visitors and vehicles. Most of the trails and campgrounds along this route, including the Tuolumne Meadows Campground are open. Visitor services along Tioga Road, including the High Sierra Camps and the Tuolumne Meadows Store are open. For more information, go to nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/
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Old Aug 7th, 2018, 08:39 AM
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We will be live streaming of the Unified Command Press Conference starting 11 AM from the Ahwahnee Incident Command Post on the Sierra National Forest Facebook page.

Awahanee, CA, August 7, 2018
- The Ferguson Fire grew by 2,829 acres throughout the day and is now 94,331 acres with 43% containment and 2,357personnel that are currently engaged on the fire which include 202 engines, 18 water tenders, 14 helicopters, 39 crews, 5 masticators and 33 dozers. There have been 2 fatalities and 11 injuries to date. 10 structures have been destroyed. The Ferguson Fire is now the largest fire in the Sierra National Forest's History. This fire is being managed as a full suppression fire.


The only areas still under mandatory evacuation are: Foresta, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite West.

Wawona residents were allowed to return yesterday.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/
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Old Aug 7th, 2018, 10:49 AM
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A sad statement made by officials:

...
Officials had set a target to extinguish the fire by mid-August, but they now say they will need until early September.
...


Also, the picture below puts the size of the fire in better perspective.



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Old Aug 7th, 2018, 11:02 AM
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Quick clarification, the Mendocino Complex fire is not the Ferguson fire. The Mendocino fire is now the largest in California fire history, a dubious honor.
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Old Aug 7th, 2018, 11:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Barbara
Quick clarification, the Mendocino Complex fire is not the Ferguson fire. The Mendocino fire is now the largest in California fire history, a dubious honor.
True. I apologize for hijacking this thread a little. That’s because we came back from a Road Trip a month ago, driving thru most of the California and I just cannot comprehend the magnitude of those fires, including the Ferguson fire too. We drove from Mono Lake via Tioga Rd, thru the Valley and 140 West & North toward S.F. On the way down we visited Giant Sequoias… I do realize how fortunate we were being able to see it all, shortly before the fires begun.
Just hoping that all of those National Parks treasures will be spared.
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Old Aug 7th, 2018, 11:46 AM
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The west side of 120 has reopened so it's now possible to drive between the Big Oak Flat and Tioga Pass entrances. Everything else remains closed.
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