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Ferguson Fire spreads across Highway 41, moves deeper into Yosemite

Bill GabbertAugust 3, 2018August 4, 2018UncategorizedCalifornia, Ferguson Fire, Yosemite National Park3 Comments

The fire is well established on the east side of Highway 41 and has crossed Glacier Point Road

(UPDATED at 5:20 a.m. PDT August 4, 2018)

map Ferguson Fire — Map showing the perimeter of the Ferguson Fire at 1:30 a.m. PDT August 4, 2018. The red shaded areas represent intense heat at that time. The blue line at the top is the 2013 Rim Fire. Click to enlarge.

These two maps of the Ferguson Fire at Yosemite National Park in California include the latest perimeter data collected by a fixed wing aircraft at 1:30 a.m. PDT August 4, 2018.

Friday afternoon the fire spotted across two highways running for almost a mile in both places — east of Highway 41 at Glacier Point Road, and across Highway 140 below Foresta. The slop over across 41 was approximately 200 acres at 1:30 a.m. PDT on Saturday. About half of that crossed over Glacier Point Road.

Below is an excerpt from a Friday evening update by the incident management team:

The Ferguson Fire grew by 3,647 acres throughout the day and was at 77,207 acres as of 6 p.m. Containment is at 41 percent. Firefighters worked throughout the day on a spot fire that jumped the Merced River early this morning and is burning in the Crane Creek drainage southwest of Foresta. Aircraft dropped water and retardant in support of firefighters.

Bulldozers and hand crews built containment lines between the fire and Foresta. Engines and crews remained in Foresta for structure protection. While Yosemite Valley was not in imminent danger, dangerous road conditions, smoke and a loss of power prompted Yosemite National Park officials to evacuate the area until further notice.

Later in the afternoon, another spot fire emerged west of Wawona Road (Highway 41) and began advancing toward Badger Pass. Evacuations were issued along Highway 140 out of concern that shifting winds overnight could bring the fire back into the communities.

On the north side of the fire, crews completed tactical firing along Pilot Ridge on the Mariposa-Tuolumne county line. They will perform firing operations south along the 13 Road as weather allows to fully contain the fire’s northern perimeter.

(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Ferguson Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.)

(UPDATED at 7:17 p.m. PDT August 3, 2018)

The satellite heat sensing data from 2:43 p.m. PDT August 3, 2018, represented by the red dots, can be seen in the map above. It shows heat where the Ferguson Fire, at Yosemite National Park in California, crossed Highway 41 near Glacier Point Road, and Highway 140 south and southeast of Foresta.

We hope to have an updated map Saturday morning. Continue reading “Ferguson Fire spreads across Highway 41, moves deeper into Yosemite”

Firefighter killed on Ferguson Fire identified

Bill GabbertJuly 30, 2018August 3, 2018UncategorizedBrian Hughes, Ferguson Fire, hazardous tree, lodd3 Comments

The National Park Service has identified the firefighter who was killed Sunday morning July 29 while battling the Ferguson Fire on the Sierra National Forest in California west of Yosemite National Park. It was Captain Brian Hughes of the Arrowhead Hotshots.

The incident occurred just before 9:30 a.m. Captain Hughes and his crew were engaged in a tactical firing operation on the east side of the fire. In an area with a large amount of tree mortality, he was struck by a falling tree. Captain Hughes was treated at the scene, but passed away before he could be transported to a hospital.

Captain Brian Hughes. Photo courtesy of Brad Torchia.

A second firefighter killed on the Ferguson Fire

Bill GabbertJuly 29, 2018July 30, 2018UncategorizedCalifornia, Ferguson Fire, lodd1 Comment

Another firefighter has been killed while working on the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in California.

The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Sunday morning July 29 while battling the Ferguson Fire on the Sierra National Forest, a Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park firefighter suffered a fatal injury.

The incident occurred just before 9:30 a.m. At the time, the firefighter and his crew were engaged in a tactical firing operation on the east side of the fire. They were operating in an area with a large amount of tree mortality. The firefighter was struck by a tree. He was treated on scene, but passed away before he could be transported to a hospital.

“The team at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park is devastated by this terrible news,” says Park Superintendent Woody Smeck in a statement released July 29. “Our deepest condolences go out to the firefighter’s family and loved ones. We grieve this loss with you.”

Further public information will be made available once the firefighter’s family has been notified.

The firefighter was escorted to the Stanislaus County Coroner’s office in Modesto, Calif., Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

The Ferguson Fire has burned over 54,000 acres since it started July 13, 2018.

Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney was killed July 14, when his dozer rolled in steep terrain on the Ferguson Fire.

On July 26 two firefighters were entrapped and killed by the Carr Fire near Redding, California.

Our sincere condolences go out to the family, friends, and co-workers of all four of these firefighters.

Ferguson Fire slowed Tuesday by inversion

Bill GabbertJuly 25, 2018July 25, 2018UncategorizedCalifornia, Ferguson Fire, Kari Greer2 Comments

The fire has burned over 37,000 acres

Hot shot crew Ferguson Fire firefighters — Bear Divide Hot Shots on the Ferguson Fire. Kari Greer photo taken around July 23, 2018.

One of the primary factors affecting the spread of the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in California is the weather — specifically, the inversions that have been trapping the smoke and partially blocking the sun. Since the fire started July 13 these inversions have been a frequent occurrence. They usually break up in the afternoon, allowing the intensity and rate of spread of the fire to increase. On Tuesday this weather phenomenon again kept the fire from making any big runs, allowing only another 1,693 acres to burn, bringing the total up to 37,795 acres.

Air Tanker 118 HC_130H Ferguson Fire — While following a lead plane, Tanker 118, an HC-130H, begins a retardant drop on the Ferguson Fire. Kari Greer photo taken around July 23, 2018.

Information from the Incident Management Team Tuesday night:

“North of the Merced River on the Stanislaus National Forest, firefighters constructed indirect containment lines up Soapstone Ridge, opening old roads near the burn scar of the 2013 Rim Fire. Crews strengthened and improved containment lines east toward Eagle Peak and down to El Portal.

“Along the eastern edge of the fire, crews were successful initiating strategic firing operations to remove unburned vegetation between containment lines and the fire. Crews also evaluated structures for defensible space.

“South of the Merced River on the Sierra National Forest, containment lines were secured from Jerseydale across to Wawona Campground. Crews will continue planning strategic firing operations to help build a wider buffer to stop the fire’s spread.

“Yosemite National Park closure: Yosemite National Park officials announced closures to the Yosemite Valley and Wawona areas, as well as the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, effective noon on Wednesday, July 25. ”

Could the Ferguson Fire burn into the Rim Fire?

Bill GabbertJuly 22, 2018July 22, 2018UncategorizedCalifornia, Ferguson Fire, Rim Fire4 Comments

Four miles separate the two fires

At its peak the 2013 Rim Fire east of Sonora, California, had over 5,000 personnel assigned. At over 257,000 acres it stands today as the fourth largest wildfire in the recorded history of California, 30 miles wide, west to east. Most of the blaze was in the Stanislaus National Forest but it spread into Yosemite National Park where it burned almost 79,000 acres of the Park’s back country, but never made it to the most visited area, Yosemite Valley.

CLICK HERE to see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Ferguson Fire, including the most recent.

The Ferguson Fire which as been burning for 10 days already has 2,900 personnel assigned and reached 30,000 acres Saturday. So far it has not destroyed any structures. As large as it was, the Rim Fire burned a surprisingly small number of structures — 11 homes, 3 commercial buildings, and 98 outbuildings. But if the Ferguson Fire grows east in a big way, several communities would be at risk, including El Portal, Foresta, Yosemite West, and possibly Wawona.

For the last week the Ferguson Fire has been slowed by inversions that typically do not break until mid-afternoon, after which it has been adding several thousand acres each day. If the weather changes and brings a strong wind with a westerly component, the complexion of the fire will change dramatically. In two days in mid-August, the Rim Fire burned nearly 90,000 acres.

Saturday night only four miles separated the Ferguson Fire from the footprint of the 2013 Rim Fire. If it does burn into it, the resistance to control should decrease, allowing firefighters a better chance to stop it in that area. If the north end of the Ferguson Fire spreads northeast three miles it will burn into Yosemite National Park. From that point, Yosemite Valley would be 13 miles to the east.

The Fire History map the Incident Management Team uploaded to InciWeb on July 21 is very cluttered and extremely difficult to decipher, but there have been some fires in the last 20 to 40 years years north of Highway 140 and east of the Ferguson Fire which, to a certain extent, may help firefighters a bit.

Ferguson Fire spreads north across Merced River

Bill GabbertJuly 21, 2018July 22, 2018UncategorizedCalifornia, Ferguson Fire

By Saturday night the fire had burned over 30,000 acres.

(UPDATED at 4:19 a.m. PDT July 22, 2018)

Friday night and Saturday the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in California grew by more than 3,300 acres to bring the total to about 30,400 acres. Most of the activity was on the north flank where it jumped across Highway 140 and the Merced River Friday afternoon but the fire also ate up additional acreage on the southeast side. Firefighters engaged the slop over across the river early Saturday but were unable to make headway in the steep, rugged terrain.

map Ferguson Fire July 22, 2018 — Map showing the Ferguson Fire, mapped at 11 p.m. PDT July 21, 2018. The red shaded areas represent intense heat at that time, while the yellow line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. Click to enlarge.

Again Saturday the inversion trapped smoke, decreasing visibility and making it a challenge to use aircraft. The inversion also slows the fire, reducing solar heating of the fuels and preventing strong winds which can be the most important factor affecting the rate of spread. When the smoke cleared in the afternoon fire activity increased, which has been the pattern for the last several days.

CLICK HERE to see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Ferguson Fire, including the most recent.

(UPDATED at 4:25 p.m. PDT July 21, 2018)

The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office issued additional mandatory evacuation orders Saturday for the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in California.

Anderson Valley Area — northwest of the El Portal Area. At this time there are no Evacuation Orders or Advisements in the Greeley Hill or Coulterville Communities.
Yosemite West

On the map below, click on the circles to see more information.

(Originally published at 7:24 PDT July 21, 2018)

At about 3 p.m. PDT Friday afternoon two spot fires occurred on the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in California. These “slop overs” were on the north side of Highway 140 and the Merced River on a large dog leg near Miller Gulch and Ned Gulch in an area that was too steep and rugged for fixed wing air tankers.

While helicopters and hand crews attacked the spot fires near the river, air tankers painted the upper slopes with retardant. Firefighters on other parts of the fire and additional resources from outside the fire were assigned to suppress this new threat. But when a mapping aircraft flew over at 9:30 p.m. 2,000 acres had become established across the river.

This slop over and other growth on the fire brought the total size up to 27,129 acres according to fire officials, an increase of more than 4,000 acres from the day before.

3-D map Ferguson Fire — 3-D map, looking north, showing the 2,000-acre slop over on the Ferguson Fire, mapped at 9:30 p.m. PDT July 20, 2018. The red shaded areas represent intense heat at that time, while the yellow line was the perimeter about 23 hours before. Click to enlarge.

This prompted a mandatory evacuation order from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office for Rancheria Government Housing, Old El Portal, Yosemite View Lodge, and Foresta.

The spot fires were across the Merced River and north of Ferguson Ridge which forms a large mile-wide dog leg in the river. On the west side of the dog leg the fire had been tied in with the highway, but from the maps we have seen it appeared that about two miles of the fire edge on the east side of the dog leg were about a third of a mile from the river. (Note the yellow line on the map above that represents the fire edge Thursday night.)

Until Friday, firefighters on the Ferguson Fire had been able keep the fire south of the highway and the river. This is a whole new ball game for the incident management team. In crossing the river the fire spread from the Sierra National Forest into the Stanislaus National Forest in an area that is very steep with difficult access. Friday night the slop over was about four miles from Yosemite National Park burning in a major drainage leading to the park boundary. A mile or two beyond that — Highway 120, Tioga Road, and Big Oak Flat Road.

Other areas on the fire were also active Friday, with most of the additional growth being on the south and east sides. Crews continued to make progress building line along the southwest and western edges of the fire near Jerseydale and Mariposa Pines.

Yosemite National Park is open, but very smoky.

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