Click here for: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Updates for Monday, July 11, 2022

Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park from the PG&E Miami Mountain Live Camera in Eastern Madera County on Sunday Morning, July 10, 2022 at 6:17 A.M.

Click here for: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Updates for Monday, July 11, 2022


Evening Update: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park is at 2,044 Acres and 545 Total Personnel.

Incident Information

Basic Information

Current as of	7/10/2022, 6:36:54 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	Managed for Full Suppression.
Coordinates	37.499 latitude, -119.614 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	545
Size	2,044 Acres
Fuels Involved	Timber and Brush - Mostly high load conifer litter (TL5) with heavy dead and down component as well as substantial standing dead.
Significant Events	Moderate Fire Behavior Observed, including Long-range Spotting, Group Torching and Backing.

Outlook

Planned Actions

Continue direct handline construction where possible and prepare for indirect line when needed. Utilize offensive firing operations along primary control lines when appropriate. Defend Wawona Point and the Community of Wawona. Protect Mariposa Grove.

Projected Incident Activity

12 hours: Expect the fire to keep growing moderately. The fire has remained active overnight, and that will be expected tonight. 24 hours: With the forecast warming and drying, fire activity will increase during the day tomorrow. 48 hours: Forecast weather indicates heating trend through the week. Fire activity will remain actively spreading. 72 hours: Forecast weather indicates heating trend through the week. Fire activity will remain actively spreading. Anticipated after 72 hours: Forecast weather indicates heating trend through the week. Fire activity will remain actively spreading. Once the fire reaches some of the recent fire scars, spread may slow, but fire will continue to burn into the fire scar with reduced intensity and increased dead and down fuel loading.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns

Synopsis: A warming trend will take place over the fire today and Monday as high pressure strengthens over the area. Hot and dry conditions will persist through at least the end of the week. Winds will be generally light and terrain-driven. Smoke from the fire will continue to impact Yosemite National Park for the next few days due to southerly transport winds. (from spot forecast) Observed: From 7/10/2022, Wawona Remote Weather Station, max temperatures reached mid-high 80s, min humidity dropped to 28-32%. Winds were light and variable. Forecasted: .MONDAY... Sky/weather... Mostly sunny. Areas of smoke through the day. Max temperature... 83-85. Min humidity... 18-23 percent. Eye level winds... Upslope 2-4 mph. Surrounding ridge... Southeast 5-10 mph in the morning shifting to southwest by 1100 PDT. Mixing height... Rising to around 7000 ft AGL. Transport winds... South 7 mph.

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Update 11:10:

Location: Yosemite National Park, Mariposa Grove
Start Date: July 7, 2022
Size: 1,591acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Cause: Under Investigation
Number of Personnel Assigned: 360

Summary: The Washburn Fire was reported in the afternoon of July 7, near the Washburn Trail in the Mariposa Grove area of Yosemite National Park. A full initial attack response was dispatched including Yosemite National Park Fire resources and state and local cooperators. California Interagency Incident Management Team 13 assumed command of the fire Saturday and will manage the incident as a full suppression fire.

The fire was active overnight. Today is expected to be hotter and drier. The parks are proactively protecting the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. While structure wrap is not being used on the sequoias themselves, additional methods are being used including the removal of heavy and fine fuels around the trees and deploying ground-based sprinkler systems to increase humidity near the trees. Fortunately, the Mariposa Grove has a long history of prescribed burning and studies have shown that these efforts reduce the impacts of high-severity unwanted fire.

Terrain: The fire is burning in difficult terrain with continuous heavy dead and down fuels in and around the fire. Tree mortality from 2013 - 2015 has left significant dead standing and dead fallen fuels. This also presents significant safety hazards to firefighters. Located in the southern portion of Yosemite National Park, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite and is home to over 500 mature giant sequoias.

Evacuations & Closures: The Wawona Road (Highway 41) is closed from the South Entrance to Henness Ridge Road.  Yosemite West remains accessible from the northern side of the Wawona road.   The Mariposa Grove are closed until further notice.  A map of the evacuation area and current evacuation levels is available at arcg.is/0Hmuq4.  An evacuation shelter is set up at the New Life Church located at 5089 Cole Road in Mariposa, CA. 

The Rest of the Park Remains Open: All other areas of Yosemite National Park are open. Use Highways 140 or 120 to enter Yosemite. Reservations are still required; visit www.recreation.gov for reservations. Expect smoky conditions within the park. We appreciate the patience of the public as visitors may experience longer waits at the other entrance stations as the south entrance remains closed. 

Weather: A warming trend will take place over the fire today and Monday. Hot and dry conditions will persist through at least the end of the week. A full forecast is available at www.weather.gov/hnx.

Current Conditions: For road, campground, and other information visit www.nps.gov/yose.

Smoke: An interactive smoke map at fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions. 

Aviation / Drone Restrictions: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) and any private aircraft or drone that violates the TFR could face serious criminal charges. For more information on drones the public can visit the FAA’s website at www.KnowBeforeYouFly.org. “If you fly, we can’t!”

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Update 11:00 A.M. Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Operations Video for Sunday, July 10, 2022

Update 6:40 A.M. 1,591 acres (+401 acres), brush and timber, 0% contained (+0% containment) · Active fire behavior overnight with spotting · Threat to critical infrastructure · Evacuations orders in effect · Threat to the community of Wawona · Threat to Giant Sequoias grove · Road and trail closures in the area · CAIIMT 13 (Boehm) in command

Update 6:35 A.M. Per NWS Hanford: This smoke projection from the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh computer model depicts moderate to heavy smoke from the #WashburnFire over Yosemite National Park today. The thickest smoke plume will impact the communities of Wawona and El Portal this afternoon.

Update 6:00 A.M.: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Briefing and Infrared Maps for Sunday, July 10, 2022

July 10, 2022 - Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park is at 1,591 Acres and 0% Containment.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns

Synopsis: Heavy smoke from the Washburn Fire will impact Yosemite National Park this afternoon (7/9) due to southerly transport winds. Downslope winds may push smoke into the Sierra Nevada foothills this evening into Sunday. A warming trend is expected Sunday and Monday. Hot and dry conditions will persist through at least Thursday morning. Winds will be generally light and terrain-driven. Observed: Today at ICP Wawona Fire Station, max temperatures reached high 80s, min humidity dropped to 28-32%. Winds were light and variable. Observations taken by fire weather observation system deployed at ICP. Forecasted: Sunday July 10 Sky/weather.........Mostly sunny. Areas of smoke in the morning, then haze in the afternoon. Max temperature.....77-82. Min humidity........26 percent. Eye level winds.....South winds up to 5 mph in the morning shifting to the west in the afternoon with gusts up to 10 mph. Surrounding ridge...Northwest winds up to 5 mph. Mixing height.......Rising to around 4200 ft AGL after 0900 PDT. Transport winds.....Northwest around 5 mph. (from spot forecast)

Click here for: Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park Updates for Saturday, July 9, 2022