When I look out my window and see poor air quality, the smoky haze is made more disheartening by bits of gray ash floating in the air before coming to rest on the ground. The oppressive heat adds insult to already injured lungs and makes moving through my day challenging. The stress of fire, drought and ashy-air is showing in ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson fire remained active overnight and is now estimated at 22,892 acres and remains at 7 percent containment. There was active fire behavior along Highway 140 in the dogleg of the Merced River west of Cedar Lodge, and also west of Pinoche Ridge and on the southeastern corner near Granite Ridge. Crews working along the highway ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire, burning south of Highway 140 in Mariposa County, grew by just 500 acres today, according to the latest numbers from fire managers. The fire is now estimated at 21,541 acres and is still 7 percent contained. As of this evening, no structures have been damaged or destroyed. There are currently 2,711 personnel assigned to ...

MARIPOSA – There will be two community meetings on the Ferguson Fire on Friday, July 20. The first will be held at the Wawona Community Center, 7925 Chilnualna Falls Road from 3 to 4 p.m. The second meeting will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds, Building A. The Unified Commanders – US Forest Service, ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – It was another hot and humid day on the Ferguson Fire as it continues to push south and east. As of this posting, a new estimate on the size of the fire has not come out. We will update here when that happens. This morning the fire was estimated at 17,319 acres with 5 percent containment. Resources ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire continues to push out in all directions, growing 4,000 acres overnight. The fire is now 17,319 acres and is still estimated at 5 percent containment. No new evacuations have been ordered in the past 24 hours. Fire managers describe the fire activity overnight as “fairly quiet,” with activity picking up in the area around ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – It was standing room only as nearly 300 residents turned out to hear from Ferguson Fire officials about what’s happening, what to expect next, and have their questions answered. But before the meeting, fire managers at the ICP discussed the day’s activity on the fireline at the evening briefing. The fire has grown to 13,082 acres with ...

MARIPOSA – The next weekend of the free Summer Concert Series at The Art Park in historic downtown Mariposa features the debut of two young, up-and-coming Indie/Alt-Rock bands from Santa Cruz – Urban Theory on Friday, July 20, and Watch Me Breathe on Saturday, July 21. Formed in 2011, Indie-Rock group Urban Theory’s members have known each other since elementary ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – Mountain area residents woke to another day of dense smoke as the Ferguson Fire continues to burn south of Highway 140 in Mariposa County. The fire is estimated at 12,525 acres with 5 percent containment. Because the fire has now moved into Cal Fire’s areas of protection (State Responsibility Area), it is now under Unified Command with ...

AHWAHNEE – The Unified Commanders of the Ferguson Fire – Cal Fire, U.S. Forest Service and Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office – will be hosting a community meeting to discuss the current situation at 6 p.m. tonight at the Wasuma School. Officials will be giving an operational overview briefing, highlighting the actions that firefighters are taking on the fire. Current maps ...