2018 Ferguson Fire - Photo by Stuart Palley for the USFS
August 13, 2018 - Size: 96,457 acres Containment: 86%
Incident Start Date: 7/13/2018 Cause: Under Investigation Size: 96,457 acres Containment: 86%
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: 69 Water Tenders: 6 Helicopters: 5 Crews: 10 Dozers: 14 Masticators: 4 Total Personnel: 1,020
Current Situation: Increase in containment reflects the progress firefighters are making towards meeting the objective of fully suppressing the fire. There continues to remain pockets of unburned vegetation from Grouse Creek drainage, along Wawona Road to the base of Elephant Rock. This portion of the fire is consuming vegetation further from Wawona Road’s edge, and into the interior of the fire. As the fire burns away from the containment lines the threats of spot fires outside the established hand line will diminish.
As expected, containment increased near the or Yosemite Ski and Snow Board Area (Badger Pass). A spike camp, or a smaller satellite camp, is established at the ski area to reduce drive time to this portion of the fire. All other incident personnel remain at the Incident Command Post in Ahwahnee.
Significate milestones have been accomplished by firefighters along the perimeter of the fire, allowing Yosemite National Park to announce the reopening of Wawona and Mariposa Grove to visitors today. As visitors and residents, return to the area, they may continue to see visible smoke within the perimeter of the fire. Vegetation is dense throughout the fire area, and the large down logs and trees may burn and produce smoke for some time.
Suppression repair efforts continue on large portions of the fire perimeter. The main effort of the repair group is to mitigate the effects of suppression. This may include repairing dozer and hand line, using heavy equipment to build water bars, bring in berms and vegetation.
Weather: Monsoonal moisture will linger today, maintaining the chance for showers and thunderstorms over the Sierra Crest. Maximum temperatures between 91 and 102 will be expected and relative humidity will be similar to yesterday, between 16 and 26 percent.
Area Opportunities: Visitors returning to the area should be mindful of firefighters, equipment, and road construction delays. For information regarding visiting Yosemite Park call (209) 372-0200. 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.
Closures and Restrictions:
Road Closures:
Highway 140 (El Portal Road) east from the entrance of Yosemite National Park
Wawona Road to Yosemite Valley (Residents Only to Yosemite West.)
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite National Park: Yosemite Valley remains 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.
