‘Smoke was horrible. ... It was smoked out’
Hot, dry weather and a nagging highpressure system hampered efforts by nearly 1,400 firefighters to battle a
26-square-mile fire near Yosemite National Park that threatened more than
100 homes and businesses.
The high-pressure system over the West kept smoke bottled up, limiting the use of firefighting aircraft and endangering people with health conditions.
“Use common sense. If it looks smoky outside, it’s probably not a good time to go for a run. And it’s probably not a good time for your children to play outdoors,” said a statement on the Mariposa County website.
The Ferguson Fire, which killed a California firefighter last week, has scorched 19 square miles of dry brush and timber between the town of Mariposa and Yosemite National Park, roaring through steep terrain on the park’s western edge.
The blaze, which has grown to more than 17,000 acres, is fed by thousands of trees killed by an epic drought that has gripped California for several years.
Though the fire has not hit the national park and all trails remain open, some tourists cut visits short.
Alyssa Sandoval of Pollock Pines, California, left after spending a couple of hours in a smoke-filled valley.
“The smoke was horrible, it was horrible. My mother got sick, my husband’s eyes were stinging, burning,” she said. “I’ve never seen the valley like that. It was smoked out. You didn’t even know you were in Yosemite.”
Air quality monitors showed particulate levels at “very unhealthy” levels.