Photo by Stuart Palley for USFS
August 14, 2018 -
Incident Start Date:
7/13/2018 Cause: Under Investigation Size: 96,606 acres Containment: 86%
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: 51 Water Tenders: 4 Helicopters: 3 Crews: 8 Dozers: 13 Masticators: 2 Total Personnel: 910
Current Situation:
Firefighters are making slow, steady progress in containing the remaining hotspots of the Ferguson Fire near Elephant Rock between Wawona Road and the Merced River. The potential for the fire to spot across established control lines remains, but fire managers are confident there are enough suppression resources assigned to this area to deal with the situation. This portion of the fire is consuming vegetation further from Wawona Road’s edge, and into the interior of the fire. As the fire burns away from the containment lines the threats of spot fires outside the established hand line will diminish.
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.
Yosemite Valley Re-Opens to the Public:
Significate milestones were accomplished by firefighters along the perimeter of the fire, allowing Yosemite National Park to announce the reopening of Yosemite Valley to visitors today at 9 AM. Wawona and Mariposa Grove opened yesterday. As visitors and residents, return to the area, they may continue to see visible smoke within the perimeter of the fire. Fire equipment and personnel are sharing the road with park visitors. Please drive defensively and slow down when approaching fire equipment parked along park roads and turnouts.
One Less Spark: The public is reminded that it takes just one spark to ignite a wildfire. New fires start everyday by accident or carelessness. Please check with state and or federal agencies for the most current fire use restrictions.
Area Opportunities:
Visitors returning to the area should be mindful of 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. Highway 120 also known as Yosemite’s Tioga Road is open through the Park, this includes Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center, White Wolf Campground, Soda Spring, Tenaya Lake, and Lembert Dome. The Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests have abundant outdoor recreation opportunities.
Closures and Restrictions:
Road Closures:
Wawona Road to Yosemite Valley (Residents Only to Yosemite West.)
Glacier Point Road
Yosemite National Park:
Yosemite Valley opens at 9 AM today. For more information, go to nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.
U.S Forest Service: A closure orderis 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.
Evacuations: Yosemite Valley (Residence and Employees only were allowed to enter at 10 AM, August 8, 2018.
