August 24 Fire Update

Yosemite continues to have periods of moderate to heavy smoke due to regional fires in the surrounding areas. We may continue to see this daily pattern until weather conditions change this coming weekend. The Walker Fire is now at 3,676 acres with 73% containment. The Rough Fire is over 47,000 acres and reporting 7% containment. Inversion type weather has resulted in Yosemite experiencing morning and early afternoon smoke from these fires, with some clearing by mid-late afternoon.

Current conditions on Yosemite's managed lightning strike fires are as follows:

• Cathedral Fire: 19.8 acres with some isolated torching and moderate smoke production. The smoke has been rising 300 feet and dispersing to the NE.
• Middle Fire: 16.8 acres with light smoke, dispersing to the North.
• Dark Fire: 40 acres, and is being held by natural barriers to the west, and Lukens Trail on the north and east sides. Fuels within the fire perimeter continue to burn down.
• White Cascade Fire: 8 acres, with creeping and smoldering behavior. Light smoke production. This fire is 1 mile east of the Young Lakes trail.
• Stubblefield Fire: some interior smoke still observed.
• Quartzite Fire: Smoke occasionally seen in the lightning strike tree. This tree is confined by natural granite barriers.

Yosemite Crews and outside resources are daily monitoring our fires by ground and also by periodic helicopter flights. All trails in the vicinity of these fires are open.

We urge all employees and residents to be diligent in any use of fire, including smoking. Fire danger levels have been very high to extreme and we all need to help keep Yosemite as safe as possible.