Two wildfires in Yosemite National Park are being managed without the intent to stop the spread. They are being allowed to replicate natural processes, restoring fire to the landscape.
It is a little too far out to predict with much certainty, but possibly by the first half of next week around September 4 or 5, temperatures much higher than average for the date could impact large sections of the Western United States. If it is accompanied by low humidity and strong winds there could be a significant increase in the spread of existing wildfires. We won’t get too excited about it now, but the situation bears watching as the forecasts become more certain.
Perhaps with that medium-range forecast in mind, or it could be unrelated, fire managers at Yosemite are taking steps to modify the spread of two fires. Both of them have large swaths of granite out in front, but the rock does not present a 100 percent impenetrable barrier. However under less than extreme conditions the granite would at least greatly slow the spread of the fires.
Red Fire
The Red Fire is in the southern part of Yosemite near Grey Peak and was mapped at 1,833 acres Saturday evening. The spread has been minimal in recent days as it chews through pockets of dead and and down vegetation. The plan is to use crews and hoselays to keep the fire south and east of the trail system and hold the fire from moving further into the Illilouette basin, which would result in increased smoke impacts to Yosemite Valley.
Rogers Fire
The Rogers Fire, 10 miles east of Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir had burned 1,370 acres when it was mapped the morning of August 27. Fire managers intend to use helicopters to drop water in order to slow spread to the northeast. This is intended to enable hand crews to construct fire line between granite slabs. The next step is not specified, but depending on the intensity of the fire, which has been low, the line might stop the fire, or provide an anchor from which to start a backburn or backfire.
I am currently 16 miles from this fire in Twin Lakes, Bridgeport California, and have watched it since a couple days after the start on August 8th. Despite seasonal up-slope winds of moderate intensity fire advancement has been slow . Google Earth has excellent imagery of the area and the terrain is brutal sparsely timbered granite country. Because of my proximity to the fire I am paying very close attention and the fire management team is doing fine in my opinion. We have only one 2 lane road out of here, with probably in excess of 1000 people that would have to use it in an emergency to evacuate.
Let the fire management team do their job, use the fire as a tool and reduce risk of future wildfire in the area. The next natural fire in that immediate area may not have as favorable of weather conditions such as an offshore low pushing windspeeds over 100 mph on the ridgetops.
I’d be worried about it before it get to the ridgetops….like when wind start gettin squirrel and going over 25 +….how does one explain not payin attention in New Mexico earlier this year? Fire management might be doin their jobs and it would behoove them to have more than 5 IMETs somewhere on that fire
Fire Managers > Fire Fighters
as a former fire fighter i think we should all be thankful of the effort put into fighting fires, i hear to much saying enough isnt being done. donate some time and help fight a fire, then tell us about your effort
When in doubt, put it out
How do you replicate past “natural fire” in a radically changed present hot dry climate?
Hi Martha,
Are you implying in the phrase—“in a radically changed present hot dry climate.”—that wildfires such as these never occurred in the past? The key words seem to be “radically changed”.
If so, please study the photograph (Rogers Fire, Yosemite NP, posted August 27, 2022. Inciweb.). There are two large trees and to smaller ones in the foreground. How old do you believe these bigger trees are? And why are there only two? Do you really believe these are the first wildfires that have ever occurred in Yosemite NP?
Bravo, indeed. Someone has to try and YNP continues to follow its own wind despite the storm around it. The headline and narrative is thinly veiled shade being thrown at those who are trying to be fire managers in something other than name only.
Bravo, Yosemite NP.
Beware. of the time around the Fall Equinox!
Hi Terry,
Would you please explain more about your comment. I expect you have had experiences which are the basis of your comment.
Have a good day, Jerry
Hi Jerry. This is a very small nutshell because I am not a meteorologist. In this nutshell I’d guess Terry’s comment alludes to the principle of the Earth’s shifting axis and its influence on meteorological phenomena i.e. weather. Even local weather is influenced by global conditions which are influenced, essentially controlled, by the constant shifting of earth’s axis and the concomitant increase or decrease in solar radiation at a given latitude. Earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun’s rays at equinox. LR