Fire in El Portal Near Yosemite National Park on Saturday, August 2, 2014
Update for 7:35 P.M.
Incident Overview
Firefighting efforts on the El Portal Fire continue to go well. Crews are strengthening the containment line and aggressively cooling hot spots near the fire’s perimeter. Please see tonight's 8:00 p.m. update for more information on the fire. Starting tomorrow, there will be just one daily update issued at 8:00 a.m.Due to reduced call volume, the El Portal Fire Information Call Center will be open from 8:00 to 4:00.
Basic Information
| Current as of | 8/2/2014 7:33:54 PM |
|---|---|
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Unknown |
| Date of Origin | Saturday July 26th, 2014 approx. 05:00 PM |
| Location | Communities of El Portal, Foresta in Yosemite Park, and Stanislaus National Forest |
| Incident Commander | Carlton Joesph |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 1,056 |
|---|---|
| Size | 4,689 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 89% |
| Percent of Perimeter To Be Contained | 11% |
| Estimated Containment Date | Saturday August 09th, 2014 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Fuels Involved | Chaparral (6 feet) brush, chaparral, grass, oak woodland at lower elevations. Timber (pine and cedar) at elevations above 4,500 feet. |
| Significant Events | Continue holding and mop up of completed firing operation |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Patrol and continue to mop up completed firing operation on the north, east and west sides of the fire. Crews will be implementing Fire Suppression Repair Guidelines on dozer and hand lines throughout the perimeter. |
|---|---|
| Projected Incident Activity | Burning on the interior of the fire line only. |
| Remarks | Excess resources are being released. Of the total current acreage 3,597 acres are U.S. Forest Service DPA and 1,092 acres are in National Park Services DPA. |
Current Weather
| Weather Concerns | Weather conditions in the fire area will become hotter and drier. |
|---|
Update: 1:25 P.M.
El Portal Fire MODIS Fire Activity 1315 MDT Aug 2 2014.
The red boundary is the fire perimeter for Aug 2 2014 at 0248 hours PDT.
This map shows fire activity at the NORTH END of the fire near CRANE FLAT in Yosemite National Park.
The green line is the park boundary. The red boundary and purple area is the fire perimeter as of Aug 2 2014 at 0248 hours PDT.
The most recent fire activity signatures are from the Aqua satellite MODIS at 315 AM PDT on August 2 2014 (indicated by the red footprint).
The map shows the location of the Giant Sequoia groves and the Crane Flat campground. (note by Joe Coho)
Thanks to Joe Coho for the map.
Update: 11:26 A.M.
The community of Foresta is now open to residents as well as the general public.
Firefighters worked through the night to mop up and secure the fire line, which is holding well.
The El Portal Fire is producing some smoke as interior portions continue to burn, but most of the visible smoke is from the French Fire to the south.
The California Smoke Information website has a blog post about the smoke from these two fires.
The El Portal Fire Information Call Center hours have been changed to 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM due to a reduced call volume.
More up-to-date information on the fire will be available in this evening's 8:00 update.
Update: 10:30 A.M.
Incident: El Portal Wildfire
Fire Start: July 26, 2014, 5:00 P.M. Location: Old El Portal and Foresta
Cause: under investigation
Size: 4,518 acres
Percent Contained: 78%
Total Number of Personnel: 1,341
Costs to Date: $8 million
Expected containment date: 08/09/2014
Incident Commander: Carlton Joseph/California Interagency Incident Management Team 5 (CIIMT5)
Fire Summary: The fire remained active throughout the night. Crews worked to mop up, strengthen, and hold the containment line. Today they will continue to cool hot spots within 300 feet of the fire’s edge. Where appropriate, repair operations will begin in areas impacted by the suppression effort. Crews will install waterbars, brush out and eliminate firelines and dozer lines, reseed with native grasses, and take other measures to reduce the potential of further damage from erosion.A spike camp will be established at Drew Meadow, and some crews will report there after today’s shift. This site will allow easier access and shorter travel times to the fire area. The release of nonessential crews and equipment will begin today as activity winds down on the El Portal Fire. Many resources will be reassigned to other fires in the region.The weather is expected to become hotter and drier through the weekend, which could increase fire activity. Smoke will be visible as large fuels continue to burn out, but these pose no threat to the fireline.
Information Phones: El Portal Fire Call Center is open from 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. every day: (209) 372-0327, (209) 372-0328, and (209) 372-0329.Smoke issues on the El Portal Fire:
Smoke sensitive individuals such as elders, children, pregnant women, and people with heart or lung disease are vulnerable to the adverse health effects of smoke. Please avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity. You may consider leaving the area until smoke levels decline. Please consult your healthcare provider to discuss protective measures. For more information, visit one of the following websites:
For health effects of smoke: www.mariposacounty.org/index.aspx?NID=89
For Yosemite air quality: www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/aqmonitoring.htm
For smoke updates: www.californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com
Map showing dozer lines and firebreak lines
'Click' here to view larger map
