New evacuations ordered as fire raging near Yosemite grows to 12,525 acres

A wildfire burning outside Yosemite National Park continued its push south toward nearby rural communities as hundreds of firefighters flooded into the area Tuesday.

Amid high temperatures, low humidity and light winds, the Ferguson fire has scorched 12,525 acres south of Highway 140 west of the park and was 5 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The blaze has killed one firefighter and is threatening more than 100 homes as it marches southeast along a fork of the Merced River toward Jerseydale, Mariposa Pines and Yosemite West, Cal Fire said.

On Monday night, authorities expanded evacuation orders to residents on Incline Road from Clearing House to Foresta Bridge. Those residents now join folks from Briceburg, Cedar Lodge, Mariposa Pines, Jerseydale and Sweetwater Ridge who have been forced out of their homes since the fire began over the weekend.

Crews have been hampered by rugged terrain that’s kept much of the fire inaccessible by foot. So where they can’t attack the flames directly, firefighters are scrubbing lines of brush clear down to the root alongside bulldozers to set up defensive positions where they can eventually make a stand. One of those firefighters helping with the effort was Braden Varney, 36.

Varney, a Cal fire bulldozer operator, was killed early Saturday when his vehicle tumbled down a steep canyon while cutting vegetation to protect Jerseydale, officials said. His body was recovered Monday. While that recovery effort was going on, firefighters continued with the grinding work of setting up defenses to protect the rural communities most vulnerable to a fast-moving blaze.

Officials said they are concerned with what lies on either side of the fire’s current footprint along the south fork of the Merced River. Lying on either side of the river are acres of bark beetle-infested dead forest that’s primed to go up like a tinderbox.

All those dead or dying trees pose a major risk to firefighters. They’re a source of flying embers that can carry long distances in the wind, igniting spot fires, said Mike Beasley, a fire behavior analyst for the U.S. Forest Service.

“The biggest overall risk is that these dead trees have an increased risk of falling—themselves and their limbs falling— on firefighters,” said Heather Williams, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman.