MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire grew by nearly 8,000 acres overnight and is now estimated at 89,633 acres with containment remaining at 35 percent. There has been no update from park officials on the reopening of Yosemite previously scheduled for today at 4 p.m. We expect to hear from them soon that portions of the park currently closed will ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – High temperatures, low humidity and strong westerly winds challenged firefighters today and contributed to active fire behavior this afternoon as the Ferguson Fire continued to push north and east. The fire is now estimated at 81,699 acres, and is now 35 percent contained. On the north side of the Merced River near El Portal where the fire ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire grew by 3,548 acres overnight as it continued to push to the north and east. The fire is now estimated at 80,755 acres, and with the expansion of the perimeter into Yosemite National Park yesterday, the percentage of the line that is contained has dropped to 36 percent. Overnight, firefighters monitored and patrolled the ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – With the lifting of the inversion, the fire behavior on the Ferguson Fire picked up substantially this afternoon as it jumped across Highway 41 in Yosemite National Park. The fire is now estimated at 77,207 acres, still with 41 percent containment. At about 6:30 a.m. today, the fire jumped to the north side of the Merced River ...

Written by Greg Dunn – MARIPOSA – If you’re a foothill-area landscaper, gardener or would-be gardener, let the University of California Master Gardeners of Mariposa County help you with university-based research on gardening in our foothill locale. The UC Master Gardeners offer workshops, a free helpline, a website and a Facebook page (both overflowing with great tips and event notices) ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire has spotted north across the Merced River east of El Portal. The nearly 74,000-acre fire has been very active on the eastern perimeter over the last several days, and at about 6:30 a.m. today, reports came in that the fire had jumped the river about one mile east of El Portal. As of 8:45 ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite Valley is being evacuated of all non-essential personnel and residents as the Ferguson Fire continues its push to the east. According to park officials, the evacuation is due to limited road access to and from Yosemite Valley as firefighters are working along the roadways, and multiple hazards along El Portal Road, Big Oak Flat Road and Wawona ...

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 ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – Huge columns of smoke have been visible the last two days over the Ferguson Fire as the high pressure system weakens and the inversion lifts earlier in the day. The fire is now estimated at 69,440 acres and is 41 percent contained. Damage assessment teams have been able to get into some of the burn areas of ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – When the Ferguson Fire was first reported just before sundown on Friday, July 13, initial estimates by the first units at scene reported it at about 100 acres. It was burning in extremely steep terrain through very dry fuels, and the Sierra National Forest is ground zero for tree mortality. Within 24 hours it had grown to ...