Credit: Team Rubicon
Update: 10:06 A.M.
July 31, 2018
INCIDENT FACTS
Incident Start Date: 7/13/2018
Incident Start Time: 9:36 p.m.
Incident Type: Vegetation Fire
Cause: Under Investigation
Unified Command Agencies: U.S. Forest Service, CALFIRE, Mariposa County Sheriff
Incident Location: Merced River Canyon
Structures threatened: 2,846
Damaged/Destroyed: 0/1
Size: 57,846 acres
Containment: 33%
Expected Full Containment: Aug. 15, 2018
Civilian Injuries: 0
Firefighter Injuries: 8
Civilian Fatalities: 0
Firefighter Fatalities: 2
Engines: 219 Water Tenders: 46 Helicopters: 14 Crews: 93 Dozers: 72 Total Personnel: 3,638
Firefighters made progress toward full suppression throughout the night on the Ferguson Fire. Officials reported the fire grew by 805 acres overnight and was at 57,846 acres as of 6 a.m. Containment is at 33 percent.
Firefighters along the fire’s eastern perimeter got within a mile of Wawona Campground with their nighttime firing operation south along Wawona Road (Highway 41). When completed, the operation will add about 6 miles of improved containment line along the southwest corner of Yosemite National Park.
On the north end of the fire, crews will look for opportunities to conduct tactical burning operations northbound past Yosemite’s Merced Grove of giant sequoias and along the Thirteen Road toward Pilot Peak. Firefighters intend to link these two firing operations within the next two days with tactical firing along Pilot Ridge on the Mariposa-Tuolumne county line.
Firefighters are monitoring a portion of the fire that had slopped over a containment line a few days prior. Located about a mile southeast of El Portal, the fire is burning in steep terrain with excessive amounts of beetle-killed trees, making it difficult to access. Crews are scouting areas to construct indirect containment lines while making use of water and retardant drops to keep the fire within its current boundaries.
Along the southern end of the fire, spot fires from the previous day showed increased activity, but crews were able to keep them within their containment lines. Firefighters continued to make significant progress firing containment lines from Roundtree Saddle toward Chowchilla Mountain Road, with hopes to connect to Wawona Campground in the next two days.
Area residents can expect to see increased smoke during the next few days as firing operations continue. Tactical firing is an effective way to reduce fuel loads while simultaneously widening or extending containment lines. It can reduce the duration and intensity of wildfires, particularly by decreasing available fuels and weakening the fire as it approaches containment lines.
During all tactical firing operations on the Ferguson Fire, firefighters and law enforcement maintain a presence in evacuated communities to ensure home and structure safety.
Air quality is likely to decrease as a result of increased smoke from the firing operations. Residents can monitor the latest air quality and health advisories at:
•https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/YosemiteArea
•https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/SouthernSierra
Natural resource specialists have begun surveying the western side of the fire today to assess areas requiring repair and mitigation. Firefighters, in conjunction with resource advisors, play an important role in helping the landscape recover from containment lines and other suppression tactics.
Yosemite National Park closure: Yosemite National Park officials enacted closures July 25 for the Yosemite Valley and Wawona areas, as well as the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. The park is expected to reopen Aug. 3, conditions permitting. For more information, go to: nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.
Mandatory Evacuations: Areas that are currently under a mandatory evacuation include:
•Anderson Valley
•El Portal Trailer Court
•Foresta
•Old El Portal
•Old Yosemite Road
•River Road from Briceburg to the last BLM campground
•Yosemite View Lodge
•Yosemite West
Advisory Evacuations: This is NOT an Evacuation Order. This is an advisement only of a potential Evacuation Order should conditions change.
•Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground
•East Westfall Road and all side roads
•Ponderosa Basin Community
•Rancheria Flat – Government Housing
•Savage’s Trading Post
Road Closures:
•Anderson Valley Road
•Foresta Road
•Harris Road at Highway 49 South
•River Road from Briceburg to the gate at Railroad Flat and all campground areas along Highway 140
•Summit Road
•Old Yosemite Road
•Wawona Road (Highway 41) between Chilnualna Falls Road in Wawona and Bridalveil Falls Road in Yosemite Valley
Incline Road and Highway 140 from the entrance of Yosemite National Park to 1.5 miles east of Midpines are closed to everyone except residents.
Red Cross Shelters:
•Mariposa Elementary School, 5044 Jones St., Mariposa, CA 95338
Animal Shelters:
•Small animals: Mariposa Elementary School, 5044 Jones St., Mariposa, CA 95338
•Large animals: 5007 Fairgrounds Road, Mariposa, CA 95338
