Yosemite Fire Information Update

Yosemite Fire Information Update #1
July 1, 2008

Two fires are currently burning in Yosemite National Park. The North Mountain Fire is located in Tuolumne County and began on Saturday, June 21, 2008 in the Stanislaus National Forest. It is burning in the area near North Mountain and along the northern side of the Tuolumne River. It is currently about 2,750 acres, including approximately 750 acres in Yosemite National Park west of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Initial containment was hampered by a lack of crew resources, but good progress is being made now on the north and east flanks, where the fire continues to spread slowly into the park.

The entire fire area is within the 1996 Ackerson Fire footprint. In the park, the current effects of the fire are desirable as they help create and maintain forest diversity. Prescribed burning done jointly between the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service prior to the Ackerson Fire left a considerable amount of intact timber in this area and the current fire is burning primarily in the understory, maintaining positive ecosystem conditions.

The Blue Fire is located in Mariposa County. It is burning along Yosemite Creek approximately 3/4 of a mile north of the confluence of Blue Jay Creek and Yosemite Creek. The park is currently using natural barriers to contain the fire at less than 10 acres. Visitors and residents may see smoke from this fire from the Tioga Road.

There are currently no closures in Yosemite National Park due to either fire.

Areas of smoke may exist due to the cumulative effects of fires in the area. Residents and visitors are advised to take precautions to minimize smoke impacts. People with respiratory problems should use caution when exerting themselves in smoky areas. Areas of smoke may limit visibility and drivers are advised to watch for equipment and personnel on roadways.

Additional Information: The park website, http://www.nps.gov/yose/fire has information about fire activity and air quality conditions in Yosemite. For information about other fires burning on the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests, please contact: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sierra/conditions/2008-fires.shtml or http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/conditions/index.shtml Information about the Oliver Fire can be found at http://www.calfire.ca.gov.

For those of you who like numbers, in California there are:

1,459 fires burning over 416,000 acres
19,134 personnel committed
1,496 engines, 571 crews, 359 dozers, 400 water tenders, 100 helicopters

These figures provided by CalFire, accurate as of 2100 hours Monday, June 30.