Night Operations Along Highway 41
Credit: USFS

Incident Start Date: 7/13/2018 Cause: Under Investigation Size: 95,544 acres Containment: 82%

Incident Type: Full Suppression Vegetation Type: Brush and timber

Unified Command Agencies: U.S Forest Service, National Park Service and Interagency Command Team 3

Resources Assigned: Engines: 104 Water Tenders: 13 Helicopters: 14 Crews: 14 Dozers: 18 Masticators: 5 Total Personnel: 1,408

Current Situation: Advancement of the tactical burning operations along Wawona Road towards Elephant Rock progressed overnight when conditions were safe to do so. Crews were successful in holding areas where active fire burned during the day.

Firefighters expect fire behavior to become more active during the heat of the day today, and contingency plans are in place to prevent the further spread of the fire into the Park. This uncontained fire along the Wawona Road remains the prime focus of operations on the Ferguson Fire. Crews have progressed within a tenth of a mile of Elephant Rock, however there is still substantial work that will need to be accomplished prior to opening Wawona Road. Vegetation is very dry and the fire continues to spot across containment lines. All detected spot fires and slop overs, or fire that went beyond the planned fire line have been suppressed and Aerial support from helicopters will continue to be used. To help prevent further spot fires and slop overs, retardant was sprayed on the east side of Wawona Road. The retardant will coat the ground, inhibiting embers from becoming established spot fires outside the containment line.

Weather: Scattered showers could appear over the fire area today, increasing the humidity to between 15 and 30 percent. Temperatures will remain between 94 and 102.

Area Opportunities: The unique gateway communities of Yosemite National Park are open for visitors, including Bass Lake, south of Yosemite on Highway 41. Highway 120 also known as Yosemite’s Tioga Road is open through the Park, this includes Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center, White Wolf Campground, Soda Spring, Tenaya Lake, and Lembert Dome. The Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests have abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. Visitors returning to Mariposa Valley should be mindful of firefighters, equipment, and road construction delays. For information regarding visiting Yosemite Park call (209) 372-0200.

Closures and Restrictions:

Road Closures:

Highway 140 (El Portal Road) east from the entrance of Yosemite National Park

Wawona Road (Residents Only to Yosemite West.)

Yosemite Valley

Yosemite National Park: Yosemite Valley, the Mariposa and Merced groves of giant sequoias, Hetch Hetchy, among other areas, are closed. For more information, go to nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.

U.S Forest Service: A closure order is in effect Groveland Ranger District in the vicinity of the Ferguson Fire on the Stanislaus National Forest. The Sierra National Forest Closure due to the Ferguson Fire can be found at the Sierra National Forest website.

Evacuations:

Yosemite Valley (Residence and Employees only were allowed to enter at 10 AM, August 8, 2018)