Click here for: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Updates for Friday, July 15, 2022



Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park from the PG&E Miami Mountain Live Camera in Eastern Madera County on Thursday Morning, July 14, 2022 at 6:10 A.M.

Click here for: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Updates for Friday, July 15, 2022



Update: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Triggers Next Phase of Firefighter and Public Safety Closures

Evening Update: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park is at 4,375 Acres, with 27% Containment and 1,534 Total Personnel.

Basic Information

Current as of	7/14/2022, 6:50:28 PM
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Under Investigation
Location	Southern portion of Yosemite National Park;
Incident Commander	Josh Boehm, California Interagency Incident Management Team 13.
Incident Description	Full Suppression.
Coordinates	37.499 latitude, -119.614 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	1,534
Size	4,375 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	27%
Fuels Involved	Very heavy accumulations of available dead surface fuels with ample snags, downed timber, and concentrations in an old-growth forest condition. Representative fuels include large timber with an understory of young conifer and shrubs. Very deep duff and accumulation of timber litter (branchwood and needles) dominate the forest floor. Recent large fire scars in the area include woody fuels and recent shrub growth. Live fuels (shrubs/brush) are seasonally moist and are providing limited intensity and spread.
Significant Events	A persistent weather pattern for the next several days will support active-to-very active fire behavior in heavy dead and down fuels. Expect afternoon episodes of group torching, short crown runs, and spotting primarily on the south side of the S. Fk. Merced River and upstream toward Iron Creek. Continued warming and drying over the next several days will bring additional fire growth and smoke production where control lines have yet to be constructed.

Outlook

Planned Actions

Continue to secure and reinforce the Hwy 41 corridor, Mariposa Grove Rd., and continue to construct handline and dozer line from Wawona Point to the west and north to South Fork of the Merced River. Protect remote cabins within Yosemite National Park and Sierra National Forest.

Projected Incident Activity

12 hours: Persistent warm and dry conditions are producing active-to-very active fire behavior during the day, that extend into the night due to poor relative humidity. Significant activity was observed on the east flank of the fire south of the S. Fk. Merced River toward Iron Creek including group torching and short crown runs on steep slopes. Up canyon wind flow is producing sustained backing on slopes, flanking, and torching with spotting as the fire progresses up the South Fork Merced River. Downslope and down drainage wind flow will continue to provide smoke accumulation in the valleys during the night under a strong inversion, while south-southwest winds at higher elevations remain relatively clear. 24 hours: Continued warm and dry conditions will provide sustained active fire behavior throughout the period, with the burning conditions extending well into the night due to poor relative humidity recovery on higher terrain. Generally light winds will provide sustained backing on slopes with flanking, torching, and spotting. Continued fire spread may be expected on the east flank of the fire in the South Fork Merced River drainage in the Iron Creek area. Potential continues for spotting north of the South Fork Merced River in the Johnson Creek area as the fire backs to the bottom of the slope. 48 hours: Warm and dry conditions combined with poor-fair night time relative humidity will produce conditions for active to very active fire behavior on uncontained portions of the fire perimeter. Expect sustained backing, active flanking, with frequent torching with spotting, and short headfire runs in the South Fork Merced River drainage as the fire spreads to the east. 72 hours: Continued warming and drying will maintain active to very active fire behavior potential. Likely increase in fire behavior to include group torching, short torching/crown runs on wind aligned slopes, and spotting to .5 miles. Smoke will be visible in the late afternoon with southwesterly transport wind. Night time cooling will allow smoke to accumulate in the valleys due to downslope flow and a strong inversion. Anticipated after 72 hours: Continuing pattern of warm and dry conditions will continue with very little change overall. Conditions will be present to provide active to very active fire behavior on uncontained portions of the fire.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns

High pressure over the region continues to produce warm and dry conditions during the day and mild and moderate humidity recovery at night. The prevailing winds will be out of the southwest, but most of the fireline will be impacted by terrain driven flow. Higher elevations on the eastside of the fire could see gusts up to 20 mph. Observed Weather Conditions July 14, 2022: Wind Speed / Max. Gust Sustained 4-8 mph gust 18 mph. Temp Highs 83-90 Direction Southwest RH 22-28% Forecasted Weather for Next Operational Period July 15, 2022: Wind Speed / Max. Gust Sustained 3-7 mph gusts to 15 mph. Temp Highs 84-91 Direction Southwest RH 18-26%

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Today: A Community Meeting will be held on July 14, 2022 at 7:00 PM Oakhurst Community Center, 39800 Fresno Flats Road (Road 425b), Oakhurst, CA

Watch live at https://facebook.com/YosemiteFire

Update 9:14 A.M. Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Operations Video for Thursday, July 14, 2022

Update: 6:15 A.M. Air Quality Measurements 

Update 6:00 A.M.: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Briefing and Infrared Maps for Thursday, July 14, 2022

July 14, 2022 - Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park is at 4,375 Acres and 23% Containment.

Update 10:00 A.M. Below is the Daily Update

Location: Yosemite National Park, Mariposa Grove                   Percent Contained: 23%
Start Date: July 7, 2022                                                            Cause: Under Investigation
Size: 4,375 acres                                                                       Number of Personnel Assigned: 1,045

The Washburn Fire will hosting a Community Meeting Today, July 14, 2022 @ 7:00 PM at the Oakhurst Community Center, 39800 Road 425B in Oakhurst. Livestream: Facebook.com/YosemiteFire.

Weather/Fire Conditions: Continued warm and dry weather with active to very active fire behavior. This active behavior will include group torching and runs of intense fire in the crowns of trees on the eastern side of the fire. Expect winds over the incident area to remain light to moderate and mostly terrain driven. Temperatures will reach the low-90s and relative humidity is predicted to be in the 20-30% range. Weather and fuels will continue to produce a large smoke column each afternoon. Expect smokey conditions.For a more detailed look at smoke conditions: Washburn Fire Smoke Report

Public Support: Firefighters and participating agencies are grateful for the support expressed in many ways by the local communities and the nation. Your patience as the fire is battled is noticed and very much appreciated.

Sierra National Forest Washburn Fire Closure Forest Order: The Washburn Fire is now active on the Sierra National Forest. To aid firefighters and protect public safety during the Washburn Fire, the Sierra National Forest has issued the Washburn Fire Forest Closure Order. Forest Routes 5S43, 5S06 (Mt. Raymond Rd.), 5S22 and 5S37 are closed to the public. The lands affected are less than 1% of the 1.3 million acre Sierra National Forest. This Forest Order 05-15-00-22-14 is effective from July 13, 2022, through August 1, 2022. For a more detailed description including a map, please view the following link: Forest Order & Map:  Forest Order 05-15-00-22-14   

Update on the Mariposa Grove: The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias has seen low intensity ground fire resulting in minimal impacts to the trees. There has been no known loss of any large giant sequoias which is largely due to a proactive fire management and fuels reduction program and a long history of prescribed burning in Yosemite National Park. This is in contrast to the nearly 20% loss of giant sequoias in the last few years during large-scale wildfires. Yosemite National Park has been at the forefront of fire and fuels management with over a half-century of prescribed burning history.

Wawona Evacuation Update: On Friday, July 8th, a day after the fire was first reported, the community of Wawona was evacuated. The protection of both life and property has continued to remain a top priority. Fire conditions, behavior and weather are constantly being assessed in order to prepare for re-population of the community. A structure defense group remains in place throughout the community and there has not been any damage or loss of park or private structures, including the historic Wawona Hotel.

Fire Progression: For a daily summary of the fire with Matt Ahearn, Operations Section Chief for California Interagency Incident Management Team 13. Search: http://facebook.com/yosemitefire or on Facebook search: Washburn Fire Morning Briefing with Team 13 (California Interagency Incident Management Team 13)

Using Fire to Fight Fire: There have been quite a few questions related to the use of introduced fire to slow the wildfire progress. Firefighters are attacking the fire with fire or using what we call “offensive fire.” For a visual description of this tactic visit this link: Offensive Fire

Evacuations & Closures: Wawona, Wawona Road (Hwy 41) south of Yosemite West, and the Mariposa Grove are closed until further notice. All other areas of Yosemite National Park are open. Use El Portal Rd (Hwy 140) or Big Oak Flat Rd. (Hwy 120 East) or Tioga Rd (Hwy 120 West) to enter Yosemite. The Rest of the Park Remains Open and reservations are still required; visit www.recreation.gov. The South Entrance remains closed.

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· 4,261 acres (+489 acres), brush and timber
  23% contained (+6% containment)

· Active fire behavior with short crown runs, group torching, and spotting
· Threat to critical infrastructure and Giant Sequoia grove
· Threat to the community of Wawona
· Mandatory evacuation orders in effect for the community of Wawona
· Road and trail closures in the area
· CAIIMT 13 (Boehm) in command

 

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Click here for: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Updates for Wednesday, July 13, 2022