Wildfire outside Yosemite grows again
A wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park grew by nearly 2,000 acres on Friday as fire crews attempted to navigate the rough terrain, officials said.
The Ferguson Fire, which ignited a week ago, remained only 7 percent contained as it reached 22,892 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The inferno, scorching brush and timber, has challenged responders attempting to gain control of it due to steep, rugged and inaccessible terrain with little access to roads, officials said.
As of Thursday, the cost of battling the blaze was $8.4 million and officials expect that number to rise, said Michael Whitaker, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
Triple-digit temperatures and low humidity over the past few days have fueled the fire, Whitaker added.
Overnight crews worked to protect nearby structures as the blaze burned along Highway 140, which leads into the park from Merced, west of Pinoche Ridge and near Granite Ridge. It jumped the highway at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon, causing a new flare-up in Ned’s Gulch, a valley in
the northeastern area of the fire. Firefighters were battling the blaze on ground and in helicopters Friday night.
No structures have been damaged, but 216 are threatened, Cal Fire said.
In addition to the tough landscape, fire crews have also struggled with harsh weather conditions, including gusty winds, thunderstorms and monsoon-like weather, Whitaker said.
Though thunderstorms and monsoons bring some moisture to the area, it’s inconsistent and the rainwater dries up quickly due to the winds, he said.
The strong winds prevent the use of aircraft to douse the blaze with water and flame retardants. A heavy inversion layer was previously holding the smoke down, making it difficult for helicopters to be used, Whitaker said.
On Thursday, the smoke had cleared and fire crews discovered the blaze was “very active in a drainage in the southeast portion of the fire,” Whitaker said.
“The lid is coming off ... so that’s definitely going to be a big concern for (Friday),” he added.
Nearly 3,000 fire personnel are battling the blaze — including nearly 1,850 firefighters, 203 engines, 39 water tenders, 16 helicopters, 58 hand crews and 41 dozers.
Officials planned to continue setting up multiple contingency and containment lines around the fire with dozers and hand crews, who go out and cut the brush away, Whitaker said.
Additionally, crews were conducting an operation of “lighting fires with fire,” Whitaker said.
That tactic scorches away trees, grass and other brush that could fuel the fire within containment lines while weather and wind conditions are favorable. In doing this, the land won’t burn at a more inopportune time, when an ember might catch a gust and breach the line.
One firefighter has died battling the Ferguson Fire and two others have been injured. Cal Fire bulldozer operator Braden Varney of Mariposa was killed last weekend when his vehicle rolled down a ravine near El Portal. Another firefighter broke a leg battling the blaze, and a third suffered a heat-related illness, Cal Fire spokesman Richard Eagan said.
No other injuries have been reported.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered along Incline Road, in the Jerseydale/Mariposa Pines area, the Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground area, Savage’s Trading Post and Sweetwater Ridge. An evacuation center was opened at the New Life Christian Fellowship in Mariposa.
Yosemite National Park remained open, though the thick smoke resulted in poor visibility for tourists.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.