Fire Update - October 16th

Empire
Discovered: 8/1/17
Location: 1 mile east of Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area and 3/4 mile south of Glacier Point Road
Size: 7,000 acres
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 85%
Fuels: Red fir
Slope driven fire remains very active east of Mono Meadow. This can be seen on the Illilouette Ridge from the Glacier Point Road. Crews will continue to monitor. Glacier Point road is open, subject to smoke along the road from Badger Pass to Sentinel Dome Parking Area.

South Fork
Discovered: 8/13/17
Location: .75 miles east of the community of Wawona
Size: 7,564 acres
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 85%
Fuels: Mixed conifer and red fir
Fire remains quiet near the community of Wawona on the west and south flank of the fire. Sections of the north flank and the entire east flank are continuing to burn in the wilderness Fire activity has been minimal this week

Starr King
Discovered: 8/2/17
Location: N 37° 42.965' x W 119° 29.588' at approximately 7800 feet elevation
Size: 70 acres
Cause: Lightning
Spread Potential: Low/ Moderate
Fuels: Red fir/Lodgepole
Strategy: Monitor
Visible from Sentinel Dome, Washburn and Glacier Point

Porcupine
Discovered: 8/2/17
Location: N 37° 49.336' x W 119° 34.720' at approximately 8154 feet elevation off Tioga road.
Size: 7 acres
Cause: Lightning
Spread Potential: Low
Fuels: Lodgepole/Red fir
Strategy: Monitor
Visible from Tioga Road

Ribbon
Discovered: 9/26/17
Location: 37 45.3 by119 38.5 at approximately 8154 feet elevation off Tioga road.
Size: 2 Acres
Cause: Lightning
Spread Potential: Low
Fuels: Low brush
Strategy: Monitor
Visible from Sentinel Dome and Glacier Point

Prescribed fire update: On Saturday Yosemite Fire managers made the decision to postpone the prescription burns in the Mariposa Grove and the Soupbowl until further notice. A dry stable air mass with low relative humidity was the primary driver for being out of prescription.
Prescribed fire is a very important tool for reducing excessive fuel build up near our communities in order to reduce severity of future fires. When the conditions are right, we hope to proceed with these prescribed fires.

WTREX (Women in Fire Prescribed Fire Training Exchange) will continue working with Yosemite Fire crews. You might see a high percentage of women firefighters from various federal, state and other non-profit agencies assisting the park with fire management activities. Currently only 10% of wildland fire positions are filled by women. This international 12 day training is comprised of 90% women.

There are multiple fires burning in Yosemite National Park's wilderness. Fire managers are working with the local Air Quality Pollution Districts and will be monitoring smoke impacts to the park and local communities. Due to moderate smoke production from the Empire wildfire, Yosemite Valley will experience smoke, this will be compounded with campfire smoke until the morning inversion lifts.

This photo is from Tuesday around sunset. Anybody know if those are controlled burns or one of the current fires? I heard they were doing some controlled burns when I was there but I also thought they had postponed the controlled burns due to high pressure and warmer conditions at the time.

Think that’s the Empire fire. They were saying last weekend it was the main source of Valley smoke.

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phantum
Think that’s the Empire fire. They were saying last weekend it was the main source of Valley smoke.

That was my belief too, but a guy I was talking with there believed it was controlled burns because he said he had seen some while driving in the area. There was some posted fire info on a board in the parking lot, but they appeared to be old and not current.