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Air Tanker May Be Down On Dog Rock Fire

YOSEMITE – Cal Fire is reporting that they lost contact with one of their airtankers as it was responding to the Dog Rock Fire, burning on the west side of Yosemite National Park.

Cal Fire is not confirming at this time that the tanker went down, but are saying, “Emergency personnel are currently responding to the last known location of the aircraft. The airtanker was assigned to the Dog Rock Fire burning near Yosemite’s Arch Rock. The status of the aircraft and the pilot have not been determined.”

The Dog Rock Fire is burning on the west side of Yosemite National Park, and has closed Highway 140 at the park entrance and forced the evacuation of the community of Foresta.

The fire was reported at 2:35 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, and most recent estimates put it at 130 acres.

Highway 140 is temporarily closed to all through traffic from the park line near Yosemite View Lodge from the west and at the 120/140 junction from the east.

The community of Foresta, consisting of approximately 60 homes, was evacuated for safety reasons. No structures have been affected at this time.

The fire is under the management of the National Park Service, and resources from the Sierra and the Stanislaus National Forests are being requested.

The fire was attacked early on by aircraft and more resources are being dispatched to the incident.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. We will update as more information becomes available.

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Sierra News Online

Sierra News Online