SACRAMENTO  – Cal Fire investigators have determined the cause of four wildfires in Northern California last October that destroyed hundreds of homes and charred thousands of acres. “After extensive and thorough investigations, investigators have determined that four wildfires in last year’s October Fire Siege were caused by trees coming into contact with power lines,” said Cal Fire in a statement ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park anticipates an extremely busy Memorial Day weekend, so plan to arrive before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to avoid the heaviest traffic. Once in the park, visitors are urged to park their vehicles at the Yosemite Village, Yosemite Falls, or Half Dome Village parking areas and enjoy Yosemite Valley by using the free shuttle ...

SACRAMENTO – Despite most of California experiencing mild weather conditions heading into the holiday weekend, this is not the time to let your guard down when it comes to wildfires. Since Jan. 1, Cal Fire has responded to over 1,200 wildfires that have burned nearly 8,000 acres, and crews are still working on the Experimental Fire, that burned nearly 60 ...

YOSEMITE – The man who was killed when he fell from the Half Dome cables in Yosemite National Park on May 21 has been identified. Asish Penugonda, 29, who had reportedly been living in New York City, died due to a fall while hiking with friends on Monday. There were thunderstorms in the area at the time of the accident, ...

YOSEMITE – A hiker suffered fatal injuries in a fall from the cables on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park yesterday. At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 21, a male hiker was on the cable route with a companion when he slipped and fell to his death. Yosemite National Park Rangers recovered his body at approximately 1 p.m. today. ...

EASTMAN LAKE – Wildland firefighting in an inherently dangerous job. While the risk of injury is apparent, what has not been studied and addressed to any significant degree is the incredible stress to the body, and the exposure to cancer-causing substances in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). New technology is changing that. “We know that the number one killer of ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park has announced that Tioga Road (Highway 120 East) will open for the season to all vehicular traffic on Monday, May 21, at 9 a.m. There will be limited services available along the route, say park officials, and all campgrounds along Tioga Road remain closed. There is no anticipated opening date for the Tuolumne Meadows store ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park has announced that parking reservations will be required for all buses over 20 feet in length, including commercial tour buses, non-commercial buses, and mini-buses, to park and visit the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. The Mariposa Grove will reopen to the public on Friday, June 15, at 9 a.m. Bus reservations will be available beginning ...

SACRAMENTO – In effort to reduce the risk and damage from wildfires, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) today announced the availability of local fire prevention grant funding. The program is part of Cal Fire’s California Climate Investments (CCI) which will increase carbon storage and sequestration in forestlands through a variety of objectives including wildfire prevention. ...

YOSEMITE – After being closed nearly three years for a restoration project, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park is set to reopen to the public at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 15. The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias has been closed since July 2015 to complete a landmark restoration project. In partnership with Yosemite Conservancy, the ...