YOSEMITE – The 2,100 acre El Portal Fire continues to force road closures and evacuations on the west side of Yosemite National Park.
The fire, which began just after 3 p.m. Saturday, July 26, is burning inside the park and on the Stanislaus National Forest and is at 0% containment.
The communities of Foresta and Old El Portal have been evacuated. At least one structure has been lost and more are threatened.
Several campgrounds have now been evacuated, including Crane Flat and Bridal Veil.
Yosemite Creek Campground has also been closed, this one due to the Dark Hollow Fire, which was spotted on July 16 about a mile south of the campground, and has grown to about 40 acres.
Big Oak Flat Road between Crane Flat and El Portal Rd is closed. There is no access to Yosemite Valley via the Big Oak Flat Road or Higway 120.
Tioga Rd is open and accessible via Big Oak Flat and Tioga Pass Entrances.
Yosemite National Park is open and Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, and Wawona/Mariposa Grove areas are open and accessible via Highways 140 and 41. Tioga Road is not accessible via Highways 140 and 41.
Firefighters and resources continue to arrive at the incident. There are currently 6 helicopters, 8 air tankers and a DC-10 providing water and retardant drops.
To view air quality and smokey conditions, have a look at the park’s webcams.
Updates will be posted as soon as they become available. We are told that will be about 4 p.m. today.
