Yosemite Fire Update: 8 lightning caused fires being monitored for multiple objectives [MAP]

Yosemite Fire Update #9, August 3, 2015

Lightning caused fires being monitored and managed for multiple objectives:  

Periodic thunderstorms have continued and over the month of July there are 8 lightning caused fires being monitored for multiple objectives.  Lightning caused fires can take days or weeks to detect because vegetation has to dry out enough to create smoke or visible flames after the storm passes over.  Additional fires may be discovered, as temperatures rise and fuels dry out.  Most of these fires are small; single tree strikes that amount to less than a tenth of an acre. These fires are in the wilderness and are being monitored by either fire crews hiking into the fire areas or via air reconnaissance due to location, sparse fuels, and low growth potential.   Yosemite,  2 Bureau of Land Management, Whiskeytown Fire Module, and Point Reyes fire crews are monitoring all fires.

Yosemite N.P. Fire Location Map

New lightning caused fires:

Cathedral (37 51.078 x 119 25.120 – Tuolumne Co., 9400’El., 8/2). This is 0.02 tenths of a mile off the John Muir Trail to Cathedral Lakes.  The perimeter is actively smoldering and creeping through needles and logs and has good potential to grow until it hits natural barriers.  The fire is 0.02 acres in size and is being monitored.

Current fires being monitored:

Middle (37 51.538 x 119 41.194 - Tuolumne Co., 8043’El., 7/27). It is west of White Wolf and south of the Middle Tuolumne River.  It may be visible from Tioga Road. It is at 0.03acres.  

Indian Canyon (37 47.532 x 119 35.148 - Mariposa Co. at 7200’ El., 7/ 3). The fire is at 4.1 acers and continues to slowly creep through ground pine and fir needles, and smolder in logs.  The fire is between the Tioga Road and the Yosemite Valley.  Smoke has been light, but often visible from multiple locations within Yosemite. It is an area of few recent fires.

Dark (37 50.575 x 119 37.153 – Mariposa Co., 8200’ el., 7/ 9). This fire is along the Yosemite Creek Campground Road and is periodically visible from both the campground and Tioga roads. It is at 4.1 acres, and continues to creep and smolder through duff and fur needles.  The most active perimeter is to the east and near the Lukens cut-off trail – the trail is temporarily closed. Fire crews will be parked and working along Yosemite Creek Campground Road. For firefighter and visitor safety, drivers are urged to use caution while driving in the area of parked fire equipment.

White Cascade (37 54.926 x 119 23.780 - Tuolumne Co, at 9000’ el., 7/3).  This remote fire is east of Glen Aulin High Sierra camp, east of Conness Creek, and west of Tuolumne Meadows, and is at 0.68 acres. It poses no threat to trails and has a low spread potential.  Smoke may be visible in Tuolumne Meadows.

Quartzite (37 43.871 x 119 25.200 - Mariposa Co., 8387’ el., 7/27). It is approximately 0.5 miles south of Merced Lake, mid-slope and on a north aspect.  It is smoldering in mountain hemlock, western white pine and lodgepole pine. This fire is contained to natural barriers.

McGurk (37 40.969 x 119 37.232 - Mariposa Co. at 7800’ el., 7/2).  This fire is within the McGurk Meadow, near a trail to Dewey Point from Glacier Point Road. It is at 0.2ac and has low potential for spread.

Creek (37 49.604 x 119 35.131– Mariposa Co., 8000’ el., 7/22).  This recent fire is near Yosemite Creek and the Tioga Road. It is a single tree strike and is smoldering within a down log. It is likely to go out.

New fires that were found over the weekend and were suppressed:  Dewey, Stanford and Crocker – each near south rim of Valley; Crane Fire, near Tuolumne Grove; and, Lost Bear Fire in the Bridalveil Creek area.

Natural out fires:  Horse, Fork, and Clark - these fires, within the Illilouette Creek Basin and Horizon Ridge areas were not found to be active.

Air Quality in the park is being affected by numerous fires throughout California. For more information refer to the web sites listed below.   

Currently no roads are closed within the park.  The Lukens cut trail, south of the Tioga Road, is temporarily closed.  

As with all fires, staff and visitor safety is of paramount importance.  Each fire, regardless of size, is assessed for the appropriate course of action.

For More Information

• Fire information: gary_wuchner@nps.gov, (209) 372-0480

• Yosemite Web:   http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/fireinfo.htm.
• Air Quality Sites: http://www.californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com/ & http://viewer.smoke.airfire.org/run/standard/CANSAC-2km/2015062200/ and http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.main and www.mariposacounty.org/aqi

Yosemite Wildland Fire Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yosemite-Fire-and-Aviation/124632964255395

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