Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County View Photos This is Day 4 coverage of the Ferguson Fire, more updates are here. Update at 8:54pm: The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has issued a mandatory evacuation order for Incline Road from Clearing House to the Foresta Bridge. Those leaving the area should keep an eye out for responding firefighters. In addition, an evacuation advisory has been issued for the National Park Service’s El Portal Complex, Rancheria Flat government housing, El Portal Trailer Court and Old El Portal. A revised size estimate was not put out this evening by the incident command team. The latest estimate this morning was 9,266 acres and two percent containment. Update at 6pm: A notice was sent out that a community meeting will get underway at 6pm Tuesday (7-18-18) to discuss the current Ferguson Fire situation. The post was sent by the Unified Commanders, CAL Fire, US Forest Service and Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, who noted they would provide an operational overview briefing highlighting the current actions firefighters are taking as well as answer questions and provide current maps and other visuals. The meeting location is Wasuma Elementary School, located at 43109 Highway 49 in Ahwahnee. Update at 2:09pm: CAL Fire officials say that with the assistance of rescuers they have recovered the deceased firefighter who perished in the Ferguson Fire. California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 5 successfully located CAL Fire Heavy Fire Equipment Operator (HFEO) Braden Varney from the accident site within the fire incident area. CAL Fire officials say the next phase will be to escort Varney to the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office and that any members of the public who wish to pay respects to HFEO Varney while he is escorted are welcome to line the travel route. The procession will start at 3 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 49 South and Darrah Road. Varney was tragically killed Saturday and leaves behind a wife and two small children. Update at 12:45pm: Late in the noon hour CAL Fire updates the status of the Ferguson Fire, which, remains at two percent containment. CAL Fire officials report that currently one evacuation center is operating at New Life Christian Fellowship Church (5089 Cole Rd, Mariposa 95338). Among the assigned resources at this point are 34 engines, two water tenders, four helicopters, six hand crews and three dozers. Numerous firefighting tankers from across the state are flying suppression missions as conditions allow. Update 11:37am: The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has placed additional areas under an advisory evacuation notice. They include the Lushmeadows subdivision, Ponderosa Basin community, Triangle Road (from Jerseydale Road to Highway 49 South), Darrah Road (from Triangle Road to Sherrod Road) and the east side of Highway 49 South (From Darrah Road to Harris Cutoff Road) encompassing Boyer Road, Woodland area, Wass Road and Tip Top Road. The latest size estimate of the Ferguson Fire remains 9,266 acres and there is two-percent containment. Speaking out the challenges of the terrain, spokesperson Richard Hadley says, “There is very limited access, very steep drainages and difficult ridge lines.” He adds, “Coupled with that is the heat. There are really high temperatures, and most of the area has had very little recent fire activity. With tree mortality that’s been going on in the Sierras, there is a lot of fuel available. ” Update at 8:30am: Throughout the day firefighters will continue to fight the Ferguson Fire in locations where they have the highest probability of success and adequate time to construct a fire line ahead of its advance. Crews have been holding the 9,266 acre fire along Highway 140 in Mariposa County and out of nearby structures in the Devils Gulch and Nutmeg area. New containment lines are being built along Sweetwater Ridge on the southwest flank of the fire. Contingency lines are also being built along the eastern flank to slow the movement towards the community of Yosemite West. Structure protection engines are staged between Cedar Lodge and Hite’s Cove. More engines are being inserted near Jerseydale and Yosemite West. There are an estimated 108 structures currently threatened and around 332 firefighters on scene. Smoke is expected to continue to impact the surrounding region over the coming days, most notably during the evening and early morning hours. Click here to view the latest Ferguson Fire Map To view a map pinpointing the region where the fire started, click here. Original story posted at 7:38am: El Portal, CA — Overnight officials were able to conduct an overhead flight of the Ferguson Fire to gain a better size estimate. This morning it is 9,266 acres and two-percent contained. Additional firefighters are pouring into Mariposa County and more have been requested. In order to gain additional space for firefighters, later today the base camp will move from the Mariposa Fairgrounds to Ahwahnee Regional Park along Highway 49 in Madera County. It is not immediately clear how many firefighters are currently assigned to the Ferguson Fire, according to the public information officers at base camp, but the figures should be available later this morning. The US Forest is also currently in the process of transitioning into a unified command with CAL Fire as more structures are becoming threatened, notably near the communities of Jerseydale and Yosemite West. The federal Bureau of Land Management has temporarily closed the Briceburg Visitor Center due to the fire. Also, some campgrounds along the Merced River (McCabe Flat, Willow Placer and Railroad Flat) are closed. Mandatory evacuation orders are also in place for Savages Trading Post and Ferguson Ridge Road. An evacuation advisory is in effect for Cedar Lodge and Yosemite West. Highway 140 is closed from Cedar Lodge to the top of Briceburg Grade and Incline Road is closed from Briceburg Bridge to the last BLM campground. Highway 140 remains closed north of Mariposa due to firefighting activities and the investigation into the cause. To view a recap of the fire from yesterday, click here. To see a map pinpointing near the area where the fire started, click here<doc-sep>The Ferguson fire burning in California is getting closer and closer to the edge of Yosemite National Park. The fire grew to more than 22,000 acres by Friday morning with roughly 7 percent containment, according to the latest update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Despite the fire covering so much ground, there were no structures damaged at all, let alone destroyed, as of Thursday evening. However, there were still mandatory evacuations ordered for some areas near the fire. The areas in which there were mandatory evacuations ordered were Savage's Trading Post, Sweetwater Ridge, Jerseydale/Mariposa Pines, Incline Road from Foresta Bridge to the last BLM campground, El Portal Trailer Court and Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground, according to authorities. There were evacuation advisories for other areas where the fire could possibly spread. An advisory simply means that residents there should be ready to evacuate should conditions change and the area be threatened. Those advisories were issued for Yosemite West, Lush Meadows Community and Ponderosa Basin Community among other areas. A full list of the advisories is available on the Incident Information System. A map of the fire shows how far it has spread and the land where the flames are currently active. One firefighter died over the weekend while bulldozing during the fire after his bulldozer fell down a ravine. Another firefighter was injured Tuesday afternoon while fighting the flames. There are more than 2,700 personnel working to contain the flames that were threatening to continue to spread. The fire was burning across a rough terrain of brush and timber that made it difficult for the firefighters to move around and to create ways to contain the fire. Weather was a concern as well because, though thunderstorms were in the forecast, they could bring strong winds that could spread the fire instead of rain that would have the potential to suppress it. The fire started July 13, but the cause of the fire is currently unknown. Several other large fires that have burned across the country in the past several months were suspected to have been started by people. A man was charged with starting the Spring Creek Fire in Colorado in early July, while three people were charged with starting the High Chateau Fire.<doc-sep>As the Ferguson Fire entered its 11th day, the evacuation area is extending to the north. The most recent evacuation order, issued Sunday afternoon, was for residents on Old Yosemite Road, in the Stanislaus National Forest five miles south of Highway 120. That community is at the southern edge of the huge area burned five years ago by the Rim Fire, the fourth-largest wildfire in California’s recorded history. Started by a campfire in Clavey River Canyon in August 2013, the fire burned 257,314 acres and destroyed 112 buildings. Related Articles Map: Yosemite deals with Ferguson Fire, Tioga Road rockslide Ferguson Fire map: Flurry of new evacuations near Yosemite Ferguson Fire map: Yosemite closes Glacier Point Road The U.S. Forest Service report Monday morning on the Ferguson Fire said 33,743 acres had been burned, and one non-residential structure had been destroyed. The fire was 13 percent contained. The Ferguson Fire started on July 13 and is nearing the size of the Klamathon Fire, which early this month burned 38,008 acres on the California-Oregon line. The summer’s biggest fire so far in the state is the County Fire, 90,288 acres in Yolo and Napa counties.<doc-sep>This is Day 8 of the Ferguson Fire, more updates are here. Update at 7:45 p.m.: An very active day for firefighters battling the Ferguson Fire burning in Mariposa County as the acreage jumped to 24,450 acres while the containment remains at seven-percent. Incident Command Officials relay that firefighters were able to contain two spot fires totaling 600 acres north of the Merced River on the Stanislaus National Forest near Miller Gulch and Ned Gulch that forced evacuations for Rancheria Flat (government housing), Old El Portal including Yosemite View Lodge and the community of Foresta. While the flames continue to spread to the south and east in the Granite Ridge area, crews are making progressing building lines along the southwest and western edges of the fire near Jerseydale and Mariposa Pines. Additionally, CAL Fire has released the details regarding a visitation for Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney. It will be held in Modesto from 2 to 6 p.m. on Sunday at Franklin and Downs Funeral Home located at 1050 McHenry Avenue. For more details on the evacuations and how the “inversion layer” lifting fueled the flames view below. Update at 6:20 p.m.: The size of the Ferguson Fire burning in Mariposa County has jumped to 24,450 acres and remains seven percent contained. A mandatory evacuation order has just been issued for the areas of Rancheria Flat (government housing), Old El Portal including Yosemite View Lodge and the community of Foresta. The Mariposa Sheriff’s Office relays that the safest escape route will be Highway 140 through Yosemite to the exit area. Highway 140 West to Mariposa remains closed. Glacier Point Road is also closed. Travelers are asked to drive with caution and watch for responding emergency traffic. The Red Cross has set up an additional evacuation center at the Yosemite Valley Elementary School located at 9009 Lost Arrow Road, in Yosemite National Park. An existing shelter at the New Life Christian Church in Mariposa at 5089 Cole Road is also available to evacuees. Further details regarding the fire’s activity is below. Update at 5:30 p.m.: As the big plume in the image box shows fire activity has intensified this afternoon on the Ferguson Fire burning in Mariposa County. The increase is due to the “inversion layer” lifting, according to Sierra National Forest Fire officials, who explain that is when the temperature, which is normally cooler at higher altitudes, instead is inverted and the hotter temperature is at the top. The layer traps the smoke and decreases the amount of air that gets to a fire and typically grounds aircraft. The latest update on the size of the fire is 22,892 acres and there remains seven percent containment. Update: 11:08 a.m.: Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has issued an advisory evacuation notice for the Foresta community northeast of El Portal within Yosemite National Park. Sheriff’s officials explain that there is a potential, if conditions change, that they could be ordered to leave their homes or businesses at a moments notice so residents will want to prepare in case they are evacuated. The public will be notified of what roadways will be safe for travel if an evacuation order is issued. A reminder, a Red Cross Shelter is operating at the New Life Christian Church located at 5089 Cole Road in Mariposa. To view a day to day recap of the fire, click here. To view the latest Ferguson Fire map click here Original story at 8:52 a.m.: The latest size estimate this morning of the Ferguson Fire is 22,892 acres and there remains seven percent containment. 216 structures remain threatened but none have been destroyed or even damaged. Firefighters continue to improve containment lines along Sweetwater Ridge and are monitoring the fire’s spread along the Merced River Canyon. To this point it has remained on the south side of the canyon. Crews are also protecting homes and businesses near the communities of Jerseydale and Yosemite West. A total of 2,700 firefighters are assigned to the incident. There are 203 engines, 39 water tenders, 16 helicopters, 58 hand crews and 41 dozers. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. An 18 mile stretch of Highway 140 remains closed. An unusually heavy inversion layer stayed over the fire most of yesterday, limiting growth, but the spread picked up late in the afternoon when it lifted. Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for Incline Road from Foresta Bridge to the last BLM campground, Jerseydale/Mariposa Pines, El Portal Trailer Court, Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground, Savage’s Trading Post and Sweetwater Ridge. Areas under an evacuation advisory include Yosemite West, Lushmeadows, Ponderosa Basin, Triangle Road, Darrah Road, portions of Highway 49 South, the National Park Service’s El Portal Complex, Rancheria Flat housing and Old El Portal.<doc-sep>
Ferguson Fire Smoke View Photos This is Day 5 coverage of the Ferguson Fire, updates are here. Update at 7:20pm: This evening the Ferguson Fire is estimated to be 13,082 acres and still 5-percent contained. Today crews focused on structure protection in areas around El Portal, Yosemite West and Jerseydale. The fire primarily grew to the south and east with most of the growth occurring in the late afternoon when the inversion layer lifted. The fire has been backing down Ferguson Ridge, into the Sweetwater Creek Drainage and behind the Cedar Lodge. Update at 12:10: An additional community meeting has been scheduled where residents can learn more details about the Ferguson Fire from fire officials. The meeting will be this Thursday at 4pm in the El Portal Community Hall on Foresta Road. It is in addition to the meeting scheduled for 6pm today at the Wasuma Elementary School at 43109 Highway 49 in Ahwahnee. Also, after restoring power to Yosemite Valley earlier, the electricity is now out at the park’s El Portal housing area. Yosemite officials note that the new outage may also effect the communities of Yosemite West and Foresta. Update at 7:15am: The Ferguson Fire incident command team reports that lines have been re-energized restoring power to Yosemite National Park. Since Highway 140 is closed in Mariposa, there is currently no access to Yosemite via the western entrance. You can still enter the park via Highway 120 or Highway 41.The fire continues to spread south and east toward Jerseydale, Mariposa Pines and Yosemite West. Original story posted at 6:37am: El Portal, CA — The Ferguson Fire is now estimated to be 12,525 acres and it is 5-percent contained. The inversion layer was strong yesterday, reducing the fire activity witnessed over the previous two days. Heavy smoke limited the ability to use air attack throughout most of the day, but late in the afternoon conditions changed and the fire began to actively move southwest towards Hites Cove Road. Clearing skies allowed for retardant drops using fixed wing tankers to effectively slow the spread. There are still big concerns on the horizon given the hot temperatures and difficult terrain and topography. Currently there are 1,486 firefighters assigned to the incident. A public meeting is scheduled for 6pm today at the Wasuma Elementary School at 43109 Highway 49 in Ahwahnee. The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation order yesterday for Incline Road from Clearing House to the Foresta Bridge. In addition, an evacuation advisory was issued for the National Park Service’s El Portal Complex, Rancheria Flat government housing, El Portal Trailer Court, Old El Portal, Lushmeadows subdivision, Ponderosa Basin community, Triangle Road (from Jerseydale Road to Highway 49 South), Darrah Road (from Triangle Road to Sherrod Road) and the east side of Highway 49 South (From Darrah Road to Harris Cutoff Road) encompassing Boyer Road, Woodland area, Wass Road and Tip Top Road. The federal Bureau of Land Management earlier temporarily closed the Briceburg Visitor Center due to the fire. Also, some campgrounds along the Merced River (McCabe Flat, Willow Placer and Railroad Flat) are closed. Mandatory evacuation orders are also in place for Savages Trading Post and Ferguson Ridge Road. An evacuation advisory is in effect for Cedar Lodge and Yosemite West. Highway 140 is closed from Cedar Lodge to the top of Briceburg Grade and Incline Road is closed from Briceburg Bridge to the last BLM campground. Highway 140 remains closed north of Mariposa due to firefighting activities and the investigation into the cause.