The National Weather Service is describing the lightning that is in the forecast for south-central Oregon and extreme northern California as “abundant”. It should begin by early Sunday afternoon and continue into the evening.
Lightning is also predicted for southwest Idaho and northern Nevada. There could be wetting rain with the thunderstorms except in Nevada, where dry strikes could occur. All of these areas are under a Red Flag Warning Sunday.
Some land managers in Oregon have brought in additional firefighting resources to assist in initial attack of any new lightning-caused fires.
The fire has burned over 9,000 acres west of Yosemite National Park in California
(UPDATED at 7:50 a.m. PDT July 16, 2018)
3-D map of the Ferguson Fire at 8:53 p.m. PDT July 15, 2018. Click to enlarge.
After 3 p.m. Sunday the intensity of the Ferguson Fire increased dramatically as it spread 1.5 to 2 miles to the south and southeast, coming closer to the structures in the Jerseydale area.
Mandatory evacuation orders are still in effect. Sunday morning a fire advisement was issued for the Yosemite West area, which is on Wawona Road southeast of El Portal. It is an advisement of a potential Evacuation Order should conditions change.
CLICK HERE to see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Ferguson Fire, including the most recent.
Based on an 8:53 p.m. mapping flight Sunday night the Incident Management Team reported that the fire at that time had burned 9,266 acres.
Map of the Ferguson Fire at 8:53 p.m. PDT July 15, 2018. The yellow line was the approximate perimeter at 2 p.m. July 15. Click to enlarge.
The weather at the Ferguson Fire is expected to remain hot and dry for the next seven days, with isolated thunderstorms possible.
The 20-second video below is a time-lapse of still images of the fire captured between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. July 15. Toward the end you will see a smoke column break through the inversion as the fire intensity increases. Sierra Fire Watch posted it, saying it was shot from a point near Mt. Raymond.
(UPDATED at 7:41 p.m. PDT July 15, 2018)
Ferguson Fire. Photo uploaded to InciWeb Sunday afternoon.
We regret to have to report that a firefighter died this morning, July 14, on the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park. CAL FIRE announced this afternoon that Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney was tragically killed while battling the fire. Mr Varney leaves behind a wife and two small children.
One of the firefighters on the fire reported this morning that he thought there was a dozer rollover, and just in case, he wanted to get medical help started to the scene. It turned out that the dozer had rolled several times and ended up in a location that was very difficult to access by foot or see from an aircraft.
(To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Ferguson Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
Just after 1 p.m. local time CAL FIRE made the official announcement about the fatality.
We send out our sincere condolences to Mr. Varney’s family, coworkers, and friends.
Above: map showing heat on the Ferguson Fire detected by a satellite at 3 a.m. PDT July 14, 2018.
(UPDATED at 3:15 p.m. PDT July 14, 2018)
For a while late Saturday morning, smoke and impaired visibility grounded all air tankers on the Ferguson Fire, but by early afternoon the smoke had cleared enough to bring them back to drop retardant.
(To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Ferguson Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
Now we are hearing that the fire has spotted across the South Fork of the Merced River on the west side of the fire. There is an effort to have the air tankers pretreat a ridge in an attempt to slow down the fire in that area.
Fire crews battle the #FergusonFire along steep terrain behind the Redbud Lodge on Highway 140 in Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday, July 14, 2018. pic.twitter.com/R60PBGWlX1
We regret to have to report that a firefighter died this morning on the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park. CAL FIRE announced this afternoon that Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney was tragically killed while battling the fire. Mr Varney leaves behind a wife and two small children.
One of the firefighters on the fire reported this morning that he thought there was a dozer rollover, and just in case, he wanted to get medical help started to the scene. It turned out that the dozer had rolled several times and ended up in a location that was very difficult to access by foot or see from an aircraft.
Just after 1 p.m. local time CAL FIRE made the official announcement about the fatality.
We send out our sincere condolences to Mr. Varney’s family, coworkers, and friends.
(UPDATED at 9:26 a.m. PDT July 14, 2018)
At 9:26 a.m. PDT Air Attack said the Ferguson Fire was holding at about 150 acres. The terrain, smoke, and power lines are challenges for the air tankers working the fire.
At 9 a.m. PDT flight tracking showed two S2T air tankers and an Air Attack aircraft over the Ferguson Fire. The green line was the approximate track of the Air Attack ship.
(Originally published at 7:44 a.m. PDT July 14, 2018)
Highway 140, one of the three highways that lead into Yosemite Valley in California, is closed due to a new wildfire. The Ferguson Fire was reported at 10:35 p.m. Friday and at last report had burned about 75 acres. The fire is just off Highway 140 near Hite Cove and has high potential to grow. Since firefighters were working under electrical lines the power in the area has been shut off, which may affect Yosemite National Park. The area around Savages Trading Post has been evacuated.
The fire is spreading in steep terrain in the Sierra National Forest 7 miles west of El Portal. The incident commander has requested four fixed wing air tankers, of any type, to attack the fire early Saturday morning if possible. They also requested dozers, helicopters, water tenders, and hand crews.
I can’t stop looking at this photo. I am biased, having been a Hot Shot for five years, but to me this is an iconic photo of a Hot Shot crew. It shows a fire crew and flames, but the flames are friendly and controlled. Taken by Kyle Miller, it shows the Wyoming Hot Shots at the end of a shift on the 2016 Snake Fire on the Wyoming/Colorado border.
I can imagine that these tactical athletes are tired, but feeling good about what they accomplished over the last 16 hours — together — and are hoping for another good day tomorrow. They are happy to be resting and decompressing with their buddies.
On their Facebook Page they described the photo:
“Thursday throwback to one of my favorite fire pictures. I recently saw a post asking what being a wildland firefighter means to people. This to me is what it’s about. The camaraderie you have with your crew. The nights spent out at a remote spike camp, sitting around a campfire after a long shift talking like you haven’t been around each other 24/7 the whole summer. Jokingly complaining about how awful the line, food, coffee or hike in or out was, but looking back and being satisfied with the progress the crew has made.
“More and more I feel like firefighters are being told they’re glamorous, adrenaline fueled heroes doing an extremely dangerous job, battling the forces of nature and more and more inexperienced firefighters are believing it and thinking that’s what this job is about. It’s sad and about as far from the truth as you can get. It’s all about teamwork, camaraderie, and a few clear, calm decisions to solve evolving problems.”
The British Columbia Wildfire Service reports that this 8 hectare (20 acre) fire is burning in steep terrain by the headwaters of the North Klinaklini River. They have assessed the lightning caused fire and will monitor the growth within natural boundaries. No communities are threatened, they said.
