<HTML>Yosemite Valley firefighters were dispatched to investigate a report of smoke in the women's restroom at the Huff House concession employee housing area near Curry Village on September 8. This is a temporary housing area set up after the 1997 flood to house concession employees. The first units to arrive confirmed that smoke was issuing from the building. Yosemite Concession Services Engine 7 was first to arrive and deployed a single line into the structure. NPS Engine 5 supplied a secondary line and started overhaul. The fire was contained to the area directly underneath a hot water heater. The water heater had malfunctioned, causing excessive heat to build at the base and burning a hole through the linoleum and plywood floor. No other damage occurred. Just after 5 a.m. on September 12, park dispatch received a 911 report of a tent on fire at Tuolumne Lodge. Local rangers were contacted and a structural engine dispatched from Yosemite Valley. The tent was unoccupied at the time, but the neighboring tent was not. The occupants of the neighboring tent were alerted to the fire by the sound of an aerosol container exploding and were able to escape without injury. Concession employees laid hose from the nearest fire hydrant and began attacking the fire. Before water could be applied, however, the neighboring tent caught fire. The fire was knocked down before the first NPS unit arrived. The two tents and contents were a total loss. The tents housed four concession employees who worked at the lodge. Most of the occupants had their summer savings and paychecks stored in metal cans within the tents. Loss was conservatively calculated at $4,000 for the two tents and about $10,000 for the contents. The cause is still under investigation.</HTML>
