High Sierra Topix

Spent the last few days hiking the Alta Meadow / Moose Lake / Pear Lake loop and the smoke was intense yesterday between the meadow and Moose Lake, then slightly better, but still visible after that.

Karin Schwartz reported on SNCC-TPP 8/5:

Smoke was terrible in Owens Valley yesterday. But we encountered no smoke on the the JMT last week (7/30-8/2) during a hike from LeConte through Taboose junction. First picture taken from Taboose trail at 8400’ yesterday morning (8/3). Second photo is from Upper Basin on 8/2.

Monday, August 6, 2018 @ 8 am Fire Information Line: (209) 536-5388

LOCATION: Stanislaus National Forest

COMMAND TEAM: Central Coast Interagency Incident Management Team

ACRES: 11,074

PERCENT CONTAINED: 2%

TOTAL PERSONNEL: 441 5 Hand Crews, 3 Helicopters, 23 Engines

CURRENT SITUATION: The Donnell Fire started on August 1 near the east side of Donnell Lake. The fire is burning primarily along the north bank of the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River in steep and inaccessible terrain with heavy standing dead and down timber. Due to the other large fires in the region and state, firefighters and equipment are extremely scarce. Handcrews, engines, and equipment have been ordered and are pending. Other local incident management teams are sharing aircraft and personnel as they can.

There will be a community meeting Monday August 6th at the Pinecrest Ampitheatre at 5 pm. Fire managers will be present to talk about the current fire conditions and answer questions from the public.

Firefighter and public safety and structure protection are the primary objectives. Yesterday, the fire spread to the south and crossed Highway 108 near the Brightman Tract, threatening structures. A mandatory evacuation was issued on Eagle Meadow Road (5NO1). It expanded on the north side into the Arnot Creek and Disaster Creek in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. The fire also grew to the northwest near Donnell Lake.

The fire continues to burn into the 2017 McCormick Fire, slowing its growth on the northeast flank. The Pacific Crest Trail has been closed between Highway 108 and Highway 4 until further notice.

Mandatory Evacuations: Highway 108 at Eagle Meadow Road to Kennedy Meadows (all residences and campgrounds), Eagle Meadow Road (5NO1).

For more information about the Stanislaus National Forest, visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus, “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StanislausNF, or “follow” us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/StanislausNF.

For more information please go to http://www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6092/ or contact us by email at donnellfirestf1918@gmail.com or 530-536-5388.

Please visit https://airnow.gov/ for current air quality conditions.

The Ferguson Fire is now 94,331 acres with 38% containment and 2,357personnel that are currently engaged on the fire which include 202 engines, 18 water tenders, 14 helicopters, 39 crews, 5 masticators and 33 dozers. There have been 2 fatalities and 11 injuries to date. 10 structures have been destroyed. The Ferguson Fire is now the largest fire in the Sierra National Forest's History. This fire is being managed as a full suppression fire.

The Ferguson Fire is now in its 25th day; the incident started July 13 on the Sierra National Forest and is managed under unified command between the U.S. Forest Service, California Interagency Incident Management Team 3, and the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office. Pockets of unburned vegetation remain inside the footprint of the fire, providing a more diversified landscape for plants and wildlife.

Moderate fire behavior today allowed firefighters to make significant progress around the fire perimeter. Firefighters were able to hold the northern portion of the fire within containment lines and complete the firing operation along Montgomery Ridge. Once cooled, the northern perimeter of the fire will be secured, freeing up resources to assist with other parts of the fire.

Firefighters constructed direct hand line above El Portal and Old El Portal. Direct hand line is constructed near the fire’s edge. These successful operations permitted Mariposa Sherriff to lift the evacuation of the El Portal area.

Crews were able to reinforce dozer and hand line around the community of Foresta. Firefighters are patrolling and mopping up this section of hand line. Mopping up is the term firefighters use when removing hazard trees and extinguishing hotspots near containment lines. Once the hand line is completely cooled and hazards are removed, that portion of the fire will be declared contained. Containment indicates the portion of the fire that fire officials are confident that the fire will not cross.

Tactical firing operations will begin tonight along Wawona Road (Highway 41) toward Cascades picnic area. Firefighters will patrol along Highway 120 to ensure the fire stays between Wawona Road and Highway 120. A combination of dozer and hand line was established using a former service road leading to Badger Pass. This containment line will restrict the southern spread of fire into Yosemite National Park.

Structure defense specialists and law enforcement remained within the remaining evacuated communities.

Fire behavior will decrease as a slight change in the weather occurs. Vegetation is dry and the potential for the fire to spread rapidly remains a possibility. Residents will continue to see smoke and multiple smoke columns.

Firefighters remain committed to fully suppressing this fire and are actively engaged, taking action to limit the fire’s spread when it is safe to do so. The fire activity inside Yosemite National Park is dynamic.

The following areas remain closed: Yosemite Valley, El Portal Road, Wawona Road, Big Oak Flat Road, Glacier Point, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, the Merced Grove of Giant Sequoias, Wawona Campground, Crane Flat Campground, Tamarack Campground, and several other sections of the Park. Please visit http://www.nps.gov/yose for the most up to date information. The public is reminded to stay vigilant of firefighters and fire traffic along the roadways.

A large portion of Yosemite National Park remains open. Tioga Road from Tioga Pass to White Wolf is open to all visitors and vehicles. Most of the trails and campgrounds along this route, including the Tuolumne Meadows Campground are open. Visitor services along Tioga Road, including the High Sierra Camps and the Tuolumne Meadows Store are open. For more information, go to nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.

UPDATE: Morning Update, Evening Update for August 6, and Informe del Incendio.

AIR QUALITY: The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an Air Quality Alert starting on July 25, 2018 for Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Tulare, and central through eastern Fresno, Kings and Kern counties due to smoke impacts from the Ferguson and Lions Fires.

Air resource advisors assigned to this incident provide daily smoke outlook reports for the various communities around the Ferguson Fire. Community members can utilize this information to do what is necessary to mitigate the effects of smoke on their health.



SMOKE REPORT: Southern Sierra, Yosemite and Stanislaus Area

Ferguson Fire Videos on Facebook (Yesterday's operational video has been captioned and interpreted in ASL)

TODAY'S WEATHER: The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an Air Quality Alert starting on July 25, 2018 for Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Tulare, and central through eastern Fresno, Kings
and Kern counties due to smoke impacts from the Ferguson and Lions Fires. San Joaquin County will have smoke impacts from the Carr Fire. This Air Quality Alert is in effect until the fires are extinguished.

MAPS: Public Information Map,Progression Map,Operations Map, and Fire History Map

FOREST SERVICE CLOSURE ORDERS: The purpose of these closure orders is to provide safety to the public and for the firefighters who are engaged in fire suppression and rehabilitation efforts within the Ferguson Fire Closure Area
Sierra National Forestand Stanislaus National Forest

Stanislaus National Forest closure: Stanislaus National Forest officials closed several roads and trails on the Groveland Ranger District within the vicinity of the Ferguson Fire. The closure order spans from Ferguson Ridge in the south to Pilot Ridge in the north. The closure is expected to be in effect until Sept. 30.

Yosemite National Park closure: Yosemite Valley, Wawona Road, the Mariposa and Merced groves of giant sequoias, Hetch Hetchy, among other areas, are closed. The east side of the park remains open out of Lee Vining along the Tioga Pass Road. For more information, go to nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.



SOCIAL MEDIA:
Sierra National Forest Facebook and Twitter
Stanislaus National Forest Facebook and Twitter
Yosemite National Park Facebook and Twitter
CALFIRE Facebook and Twitter
Story map of the Ferguson Fire

PREPARING FOR AN EVACUATION: Being ready for wildfire starts with maintaining an adequate defensible space. During an evacuation, remember, Ready, Set, Go!

Fire operations managers, utility companies, law enforcement, Park Service, and the National Forest Service are meeting throughout the day and continuously analyzing the current fire situation. The public will be notified as soon as they feel confident that it is safe for them to return to their homes and communities.

Yosemite Valley was evacuated Friday because of hazardous road conditions, smoke and a loss of power, but the Yosemite National Park remains open on the east side out of Lee Vining. Tioga Pass Road provides access to the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center, the Pacific Crest and John Muir trails and several prominent peaks.

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS: Areas that are currently under a mandatory evacuation include:
Anderson Valley
River Road from Briceburg to last BLM Campground
Foresta
Old Yosemite Road
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite West

The Lions Fire is estimated at 7,889 acres with 65% containment, showing an increase of 340 acres. There are 170 personnel committed to the fire, including 7 crews, 4 helicopters, and a pack string of mules from the Stanislaus National Forest.

The fire remains on the western flank in the Cargyle Creek drainage of the Sierra National Forest. Similar fire activity is expected today.

Fire crews continue to make progress constructing direct and indirect fireline along the southwest and west flanks in an effort to keep the fire from crossing the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. Along the western flank, crews are using trail networks and rock barriers for containment lines. Helicopters are supporting them by cooling the fire’s edge with water drops as air conditions permit.

The fireline along the northeast flank of the fire remains secure (south of Fern Lake). Burning operations will continue in this northeast section to strengthen the fireline as conditions allow. This focused effort protects developed areas in Devils Postpile National Monument, Reds Meadow, and Mammoth Lakes.

There has been 50% tree mortality from bark beetles and drought conditions in this area. Yesterday’s observed fire activity included moderate backing, flanking, and single-tree torching. In the south and west flanks the fire is moving downslope.

Hot and dry conditions remain in the forecast with light easterly winds expected for this evening. There is a significant warming and drying trend predicted for this week.

The Reds Meadow Road and all services in the Reds Meadow Valley, including Devils Postpile National Monument and Rainbow Falls, remain open.

Closures: There is an emergency trail closure for the Fern Lake and Beck Lake Trails on the Inyo National Forest and emergency trail closures and a Forest Order to close the area on the Sierra National Forest (west of the North Fork of the San Joaquin River, north of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River and South of Iron Creek).

Smoke: See the smoke outlook report in the photographs tab.

Due to limited access of the Lions Fire, helicopters have been used to fly crews to the incident, along with resupplying the food, water and equipment they need. Yesterday afternoon members of the Scorpion 6 fire crew, out of Sequoia National Forest, flew from the helispot located outside the Town of Mammoth Lakes into a spike camp set up on the western side of the fire. The Arroyo Grande Helitack 527 assisted the crew with boarding the helicopter and loading all their essential gear for the flight. Once the final flight of crew members was clear of the helispot, the helitack members continued loading cargo nets with supplies to be dropped off at the spike camps.

Ferguson Fire UpdateAugust 7, 2018

Engines: 202 Water Tenders: 18 Helicopters: 14 Crews: 39 Dozers: 33 Masticators: 5 Total Personnel: 2,357

Unified Command Press Conference 11 AM at Ahwahnee Incident Command Post.

The Ferguson Fire grew by 2,829 acres throughout the day yesterday and is at 94,331 acres. Containment is at 43 percent. Increase in containment reflects the progress firefighters are making towards meeting the objective of fully suppressing the fire. Highway 140 is open from El Portal to Yosemite National Park boundary. Highway 120 is slated to open at 12 PM today, travelers are advised to watch for debris on the road.

Firefighters will take advantage of another day of moderate fire behavior. The moderate fire behavior is indicated by the lack of vertical movement of air reducing the wind speed, solar heating, and spot fires.

Firefighters have had success in the effort to secure the fire on the southern and northern portions of the fire. Firefighters and heavy equipment are working on large portions of the fire perimeter repairing the containment lines cause by the suppression activities. Repairing of the containment lines is only possible where the fire is cooled and secure.

Spread of the fire into the Yosemite National Park and securing the communities of Foresta and Yosemite west remain the priorities for firefighters. Hand crews are reinforcing line in the drainage north of Foresta to keep the fire from becoming established and crossing containment lines. Firefighters are using an extensive network of hoses to bring water to the hot spots mitigating the potential for spotting into the drainage.

Similar tactics are being used in the Badger Creek area, as firefighters use pumps and hoses to bring water to hot spots near the containment line. Dozers are working to complete the line east of Badger Pass, tying the fire into the 2013 Grouse Fire scare. Crews will construct hand line today from the service road west to Wawona Road (Highway 41). Once completed, this containment line will restrict the southern spread of fire into Yosemite National Park.

Tactical burning operation to the north of Yosemite West on August fourth was successful at a critical time of erratic fire behavior. Hazards such as rock slides and weakened trees continue to be a challenge for fire personnel along this stretch of road. Structure Protection firefighters continue to work in and around Yosemite West.


Fire operations along Wawona Road (Highway 41) toward Cascades picnic area will continue today. Firefighters will patrol along Highway 120 to ensure the fire stays between Wawona Road and Highway 120. This tactical operation will prohibit spread of the fire into the valley.

Structure defense specialists and law enforcement remained within the remaining evacuated communities. The structure defense group in repopulated communities will be removing hoses, pumps and sprinklers today, as the threat of fire is reduced.

Yosemite National Park is accessible from the east out of Lee Vining. Tioga Pass Road provides access to the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center, the Pacific Crest and John Muir trails and several prominent peaks.

Fire behavior will decrease as a slight change in the weather occurs.. Residents will continue to see smoke and multiple smoke columns. Air quality and health advisories are available at the Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program for the Yosemite area and Southern Sierra area.

Stanislaus National Forest closure: Stanislaus National Forest officials closed several roads and trails on the Groveland Ranger District within the vicinity of the Ferguson Fire. The closure order spans from Ferguson Ridge in the south to Pilot Ridge in the north. The closure is expected to be in effect until Sept. 30.

Yosemite National Park closure: Yosemite Valley, Wawona Road, the Mariposa and the Merced groves of giant sequoias, Hetch Hetchy, among other areas, are closed. The east side of the park remains open out of Lee Vining along the Tioga Pass Road. For more information, go to nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.

Mandatory Evacuations: Areas that are currently under a mandatory evacuation include:


· Anderson Valley

· Foresta

· Old Yosemite Road

· Yosemite Valley

· Yosemite West



Road Closures:

· Anderson Valley Road

· Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120) from entrance of Yosemite National Park to Crane Flat.

· Foresta Road

· Highway 140 from the entrance of Yosemite National Park to 1.5 miles east of Midpines (Open to RESIDENTS ONLY)

· River Road from Briceburg to the gate at Railroad Flat and all campground areas along Highway 140

· Summit Road

· Old Yosemite Road (Coulterville Road)

· Wawona Road (Highway 41) Chilnualna Falls Road in Wawona.

Red Cross Shelter:

· New Life Christian Fellowship: 5089 Cole Road, Mariposa, CA 95338Red Cross Shelter is located at New Life Christian Fellowship, 5089 Cole Road, Mariposa, CA.


Animal Shelters:

Small animals: Central California Animal Disaster Team (CCADT) at 888-402-2238, ext. 700

Large animals: Mariposa Fairgrounds, 5007 Fairgrounds Road, Mariposa, CA 95338