YOSEMITE – Firefighters have made major progress on the Dog Rock Fire in Yosemite, holding it at 311 acres and achieving 54% containment.
Fire activity has decreased significantly and many of the hand crews and engine crews will be released from the fire over the next two days. Total containment is estimated for Sunday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m.
Today firefighters will complete mop-up on the north side of the fire. As this work is completed they will begin removing hoses, cleaning up equipment and rehabilitating hand lines to reduce the possibility of erosion.
Crews working along El Portal Road will be cleaning up brush and securing any remaining hotspots.
There are currently 465 personnel assigned to the incident.
The Highway 140 entrance to the park will re-open Sunday, Oct. 12, at 8 a.m. Travelers should use extreme caution and expect delays when driving through the fire area. Fire crews will be working along the road and debris may still be rolling off the hillside.
Pacific Gas and Electric completed all repairs yesterday to the National Park Service power lines damaged from the fire.
There will be no night shift from this point forward.
A smaller Type 3 incident management team will be formed to take over management of the fire on Sunday evening. This team will shadow the Type 1 team in order to assure a smooth transition of command.
