Ferguson Fire Now Nearly 63,000 Acres, Firing Ops Continue

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire is now estimated at 62,883 acres and is 39 percent contained.

On the eastern perimeter inside Yosemite National Park, crews advanced tactical firing south along Wawona Road (Highway 41) toward Wawona Campground.

On the south, firefighters conducting firing operations east from Crow Peak along the Chowchilla Mountain Road, toward Wawona Campground.

On the north end of the fire, burning on the Stanislaus National Forest, conditions were favorable for crews to conduct nighttime burning operations off the containment lines toward Yosemite’s Merced Grove of giant sequoias and along the Thirteen Road toward Pilot Peak.

On the eastern perimeter south of El Portal, firefighters are dealing with a slopover from a few days ago estimated at about 200 acres as of 6 p.m. last night. Crews conducted firing operations from the 30X road outside of Yosemite West to start indirect containment of the fire which is spreading southeast from El Portal, and were able to burn near the edge of the fire to slow its progression. They are scouting locations to construct bulldozer and hand line to further contain the fire.

We will update with more details of operations on the fireline after this evening’s briefing.

Officials estimate there are 2,846 structures threatened by the fire, and due to the hard work of firefighters, not one home has been lost. One non-residential structure has been destroyed.

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

There are currently 3,558 personnel assigned to the incident including 203 engines, 95 crews, 43 water tenders, 62 dozers, 14 helicopters, and fixed-wing tankers as conditions allow.

There have been nine 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.

Area residents can expect to see increased smoke during the next few days as firing operations continue. 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.

The high pressure system above the fire is weakening which will result in warmer and drier conditions. With lower winds speeds and the inversion layer forecasted to lift by midday, residents are likely to see taller smoke columns than they are used to seeing. 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 and Tioga Road (Highway 120 East) from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass, remain 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.

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.

The fire is under Unified Command with Cal Fire, U.S. Forest Service, Yosemite National Park and the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office. Management of the fire transitioned to a Type 1 Management Team – California Team 4 – on Thursday, July 19. 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.

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

New yesterday: Fire Advisements have been lifted for the Ponderosa Basin area and East Westfall Road including all side roads. East Westfall Road and all roads leading to and inside Ponderosa Basin are now open with no restrictions.

Highway 140 Corridor – This area will include the following for RESIDENTS ONLY:

• Savages 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.

Mandatory evacuations remain in place for:

• El Portal Trailer Park
• 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
• Savages’Trading Post