Ferguson Fire Now 73,560 Acres, Spot Fire Near Wawona Contained

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire is now estimated at 73,560 acres with 41 percent containment.

Ferguson Fire Unified Commanders, the U.S. Forest Service and the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, will host a community meeting to discuss the current fire situation on Friday, Aug. 3, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Mountain Christian Center, located at 40299 Highway 49 in Oakhurst (behind True Value Hardware).

Officials will provide an overview of the full suppression efforts. Handouts of current fire information will be available, and officials will be available to answer questions. Please arrive early as the meeting will start promptly at 6 p.m. If you have questions about the meeting, please call the Ferguson Fire Information Line at (530) 377-6221.

On the eastern perimeter of the fire inside Yosemite National Park, crews completed initial containment lines around two spots fires southwest of Wawona. They will monitor and improve those lines before they complete tactical firing operations along Highway 41. As of 8 a.m. today, Wawona remains under an evacuation order.

On the northern perimeter burning on the Stanislaus National Forest, crews performed tactical firing toward the spot fire northwest of Merced Grove. They also fired westward along Pilot Ridge toward the Thirteen Road to strengthen containment lines.

Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120) remains closed between Crane Flat and the Big Oak Flat entrance of Yosemite National Park.  At this time, the only entrance into the park is Lee Vining (Highway 120) to Crane Flat.

Crews continue to cut line and conduct firing operations around Yosemite West, which remains under an evacuation order. Engines are staged throughout the community for structure protection.

Natural resource specialists have begun surveying the western side of the fire to assess areas requiring repair and mitigation. Suppression repair has begun in the Jerseydale, Mariposa Pines and Sweetwater areas. Firefighters, in conjunction with resource advisors, play an important role in helping the landscape recover from containment lines and other suppression tactics, say officials.

There are 695 structures threatened by the fire. Ten structures have been destroyed, though officials do not believe that any been recently inhabited.

Damage assessment teams have been able to get into some of the burn areas of the fire, and report that 10 structures have been lost in the Ned Gulch area on the north end of the fire. Officials say it appears that the road had been washed out for some time, requiring teams to go on foot to assess the damage. We will provide more details as they become available.

There is an estimated date for full containment of Aug. 15.

There are currently 2,845 personnel assigned to the incident including 136 engines, 66 crews, 50 water tenders, 38 dozers, 14 helicopters, and fixed-wing tankers as conditions allow.

There have been eleven firefighter injuries reported, and numerous instances of heat exhaustion-type symptoms. There have been two fatalities on the fire; HFEO Braden Varney was killed in a dozer rollover accident on July 14, and Brian Hughes, Arrowhead Hotshot Captain, lost his life on Sunday when he was struck by a tree during a firing operation.

As of July 21, there are fire restrictions in place on the Sierra National Forest. Please read and be informed before you use any type of fire in the forest.

The Incident Command Post for the Ferguson Fire is located at the Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park. Please be aware of heavy fire equipment moving through the area. There is also a base camp set up at the ski area at Badger Pass, and another on the Stanislaus National Forest.

For information about the fire please call 530-377-6221.

The Ferguson Fire started on Friday, July 13, at 8:30 p.m., near Savage Trading Post on the south side of the Merced River canyon along Highway 140. The cause remains under investigation.

Tactical firing is an effective way to reduce fuel loads while simultaneously widening or extending containment lines. It can reduce the duration and intensity of wildfires, particularly by decreasing available fuels and weakening the fire as it approaches containment lines. During all tactical firing operations on the Ferguson Fire, firefighters and law enforcement maintain a presence in evacuated communities to ensure home and structure safety.

Area residents can expect to see increased smoke during the next few days as firing operations continue and the high pressure system over the fire weakens.

Residents can monitor the latest air quality and health advisories at:

• https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/YosemiteArea
• https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/SouthernSierra

Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken has signed a forest order closing several Groveland Ranger District roads and trails impacted by the Ferguson Fire.

This closure is based on the current and expected fire behavior and will be in effect until Sept. 30, or until replaced or rescinded. Click here for details and a map of the closure.

Yosemite National Park

Officials have announced that the closure of some portions of Yosemite National Park will be extended to Aug. 5. This now includes Hetch Hetchy. When the park does open these areas, limited visitor services will be available inside Yosemite Valley, including campgrounds, lodging, and food service operations.

Yosemite Valley has been temporarily closed since July 25 due to smoke impacts and for firefighting operations along El Portal Road and the Wawona Road due to the Ferguson Fire.

The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and the Wawona Road (Highway 41) from the south entrance of Yosemite National Park to Tunnel View will remain closed until further notice.

The Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 West) to Crane Flat is closed. Tioga Road (Highway 120 East) from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass, remains open to all visitors and vehicles. All trails and campgrounds along Tioga Road, including the Tuolumne Meadows Campground remain open. All visitor services along Tioga Road, including the High Sierra Camps and visitor services near Tuolumne Meadows, remain open.

Since the Ferguson Fire began on Friday, July 13, several other park facilities and roads have been closed due to fire impacts and the need to support firefighting operations. These closures include Glacier Point Road, Bridalveil Creek Campground, the Wawona Campground, and the Merced Grove of Giant Sequoias.

Yosemite National Park continues to work closely with the Incident Management Team and continues to assess park conditions daily.

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200, press 1 and press 1 again. Updated information is also available on the park’s website at www.nps.gov/yose and on the Yosemite National Park Facebook page.

Be sure you are signed up to receive alerts when wildfire or other emergencies threaten.

• To sign up for the Mariposa Sheriff’s Office Emergency Alert System visit https://local.nixle.com/register.
• To register for the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Alert System visit mcalert.org.

Smoke from the Ferguson Fire is impacting the Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District and across the region. For information specific to Mariposa County visit http://www.mariposacounty.org/index.aspx?NID=1434. For additional information on air quality you can visit the AirNow website or the air fire smoke page.

Residents can check the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s wildfire page at www.valleyair.org/wildfires for information about any current wildfires and whether they are impacting the Valley. The District’s Real-time Air Advisory Network (RAAN) provides localized air quality data from an extensive air-monitoring network which allows Valley residents to track PM at any Valley address by visiting myraan.com.

Evacuations

Evacuations lifted for Highway 140 Corridor – This area includes the following for RESIDENTS ONLY:

• Savage Trading Post
• Cedar Lodge
• Indian Flat
• Incline Road
• Rancheria Flat- Government Housing & National Park Service
• El Portal Complex

All residents will need to enter using Highway 140 in the Midpines area. The road remains closed to the public.

Mandatory evacuations remain in place for:

• Wawona
• Old El Portal
• River Road from Briceburg to last BLM Campground
• Foresta
• Yosemite View Lodge
• Yosemite West
• Anderson Valley
• Old Yosemite Road

Evacuation Advisories:

• Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground
• Rancheria Flat and all campgrounds along Highway 140
• Savage Trading Post
• El Portal Trailer Park