MARIPOSA COUNTY — Firefighters appear to be slowly gaining the upper hand on the the Briceburg Fire.
CAL FIRE reported Thursday morning that while the fire has burned 4,900 acres, the blaze is now 25 percent contained.
“Overnight, firefighters made good progress towards containment,” CAL FIRE said in its latest update, released Thursday morning at 7 a.m.
“Efforts today will remain focused on fireline construction and strengthening contingency lines,” the release stated. “Evacuation orders and advisories remain unchanged from previous updates. Yosemite National Park remains open.”
Meanwhile, nearly 1,400 firefighters are now battling the blaze, which began Sunday afternoon as a 30-acre vegetation fire that sparked near the Briceburg Bridge.
CAL FIRE reported Thursday that so far, none of the personnel battling the blaze have been injured and only one structure has been destroyed by the fire.
Highway 140 remains closed from Colorado Road to Savages Trading Post.
Among the agencies cooperating in the effort to bring the blaze under control: Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office; California Highway Patrol; CALTRANS; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; U.S. Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management; and American Red Cross.
Meanwhile, some 1,800 PG&E customers in Mariposa County remain without power after the utility shut off power Wednesday to avoid its equipment sparking additional fires as high winds were predicted to blow through the state.
Areas affected by the power shut off include Greeley Hill, the Lake Don Pedro subdivision and Granite Hills.
PG&E officials have not said when they expect to switch power back on for their impacted customers in Mariposa County.
Mariposa County Unified School District has temporarily shut down three schools – Coulterville High, Greeley Hill and Lake Don Pedro elementary schools – and is monitoring air quality. The district has also set up satellite classrooms for students living on the other side of the road closure.
A Red Cross Evacuation Center has been established at the New Life Christian Center in Bootjack.
