Credit: Sierra National Forest
August 16, 2018 -
Incident Start Date:
7/13/2018 Cause: Under Investigation Size: 96,810 acres Containment: 87%
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: 33 Water Tenders: 3 Helicopters: 3 Crews: 6 Dozers: 11 Masticators: 3 Total Personnel: 833
Notice: The Media and Public Information Phone Numbers are now consolidated to the number above.
Current Situation:
Firefighters were successful in holding the fire within containment lines during the burnout operation between Wawona Road and the Merced River near Elephant Rock. As the fire burns away from the containment line, the threats of spot fires outside the established hand line will diminish. Crews will now concentrate on mopping up inside the fire lines, chipping cut vegetation and removing hazard trees. This work will continue for several days. Suppression repair efforts continue on the remaining 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. Estimated incident full containment date has changed to August 22, 2018.
BAER Teams:
Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Teams have arrived and will be working on the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests and Yosemite National Park. BAER Teams assigned to the fire determine the location of priority areas and selected treatment strategies. In most cases, only a portion of the burned area will actually be treated.
Smoky Conditions Remain in the Area:
Smoke and fire, like wind and waterfalls are parts of Yosemite’s natural environment. Mornings can be smoky and unhealthy when fires are burning in the area. Smoke conditions improve with elevation and distance away from the fire area. Information that is more detailed can be found at tools.airfire.org/outlooks/YosemiteArea.
Visitor Information:
Visitors to the area should be mindful of posted speed limits when driving and watch out for firefighters, equipment, and road construction delays. For information regarding visiting Yosemite Park call (209) 372-0200 or visit the Yosemite National Park website https://www.nps.gov/yose for current park conditions. The unique gateway communities of Yosemite National Park are open for visitors, including Bass Lake, south of Yosemite on Highway 41. The Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests have abundant outdoor recreation opportunities.
Closures and Restrictions:
Road and Trail Closures:
Wawona Road to Yosemite Valley (Residents Only to Yosemite West.)
Glacier Point Road
Pohono Trail along the south rim of Yosemite Valley is closed at Tunnel View
Yosemite National Park:
Stage II Fire Restrictions are in effect. https://www.nps.gov/yose
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.
