2018 Fire and Smoke Impact Reports

Questions and reports related to Sierra Nevada current and forecast conditions, as well as general precautions and safety information. Trail conditions, fire/smoke reports, mosquito reports, weather and snow conditions, stream crossing information, and more.
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maverick
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Ferguson Fire 8/12 Update

Post by maverick »

Inciweb:
Incident Start Date: 7/13/2018
Cause: Under Investigation
Size: 95,946 acres
Containment: 83%
Incident Type: Full Suppression
Vegetation Type: Brush and timber

Unified Command Agencies:
U.S Forest Service, National Park Service and Interagency Command Team 3
Resources Assigned: Engines: 180 Water Tenders: 9 Helicopters: 14 Crews: 9 Dozers: 17 Masticators: 5 Total Personnel: 1,142

Current Situation:
Firing operations were completed yesterday to Elephant Rock. (Elephant Rock is a formation approximately one and one half mile west of Tunnel View). Work remains to reinforce containment lines to ensure the fire does not spread into Yosemite Valley. Sprinkler systems are active at the base of Elephant Rock to prevent the fire from spotting beyond the established hand line.

Today, hand crews and engines are patrolling Wawona Road along the burnout operation, watching for spot fires outside the containment lines. These spot fires continue to be a threat in holding the fire perimeter. Helicopters have been effective in helping crews on the ground extinguish detected spot fires.
Progress has been made in extinguishing hotspots on the service road leading to Badger Pass and containment increased along this road, yesterday. Today, firefighter will be reinforcing the hand line from Badger Pass northwest to Wawona Road.

Elsewhere on the fire, crews are backhauling, or bringing back to camp, equipment, tools and hose that was used in the suppression efforts, but now are no longer needed. Over 200 miles of hose was used on the Ferguson fire and used hose must be brought back to camp and rehabilitated to use on the next fire.

Weather: Similar to yesterday’s forecast, relative humidity will be higher at 15 to 30 percent. The monsoonal moisture will move across the fire area and the fire area may receive out flow winds from storms, developing over Sierra Crest.

Area Opportunities: The unique gateway communities of Yosemite National Park are open for visitors, including Bass Lake, south of Yosemite on Highway 41. Highway 120 also known as Yosemite’s Tioga Road is open through the Park, this includes Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center, White Wolf Campground, Soda Spring, Tenaya Lake, and Lembert Dome. The Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests have abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. Visitors returning to Mariposa Valley should be mindful of firefighters, equipment, and road construction delays. For information regarding visiting Yosemite Park call (209) 372-0200.

Closures and Restrictions:

Road Closures:
• Highway 140 (El Portal Road) east from the entrance of Yosemite National Park
• Wawona Road (Residents Only to Yosemite West.)
• Yosemite Valley

Yosemite National Park: Yosemite Valley, the Mariposa and Merced groves of giant sequoias, Hetch Hetchy, among other areas, are closed. For more information, go to nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.

U.S Forest Service: A closure order is in effect Groveland Ranger District in the vicinity of the Ferguson Fire on the Stanislaus National Forest. The Sierra National Forest Closure due to the Ferguson Fire can be found at the Sierra National Forest website.
Evacuations:

Yosemite Valley (Residence and Employees only were allowed to enter at 10 AM, August 8, 2018)

Inciweb link: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/

#fergusonfire Yosemite National Park Yosemite Fire and Aviation U.S. Forest Service-Stanislaus National Forest
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Donnell Fire Update 8/12

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SNF:
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: 2018 Fire and Smoke Impact Reports

Post by schmalz »

This season really is something else. I hope that we look back at it as one of those crazy years and not when this became the new normal.
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Lions Fire Reignites 8/13 Update

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Mono County Sheriff's Dept:
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Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Ferguson Fire 8/13 Update

Post by maverick »

USFS:
The Ferguson Fire is now at 96,457 acres and at 86% containment.

Incident Type: Full Suppression
Vegetation Type: Brush and timber
Unified Command Agencies: U.S Forest Service, National Park Service and Interagency Command Team 3

Resources Assigned:
Engines: 69 Water Tenders: 6 Helicopters: 5 Crews: 10 Dozers: 14 Masticators: 4 Total Personnel: 1,020

Current Situation:
Increase in containment reflects the progress firefighters are making towards meeting the objective of fully suppressing the fire. There continues to remain pockets of unburned vegetation from Grouse Creek drainage, along Wawona Road to the base of Elephant Rock. This portion of the fire is consuming vegetation further from Wawona Road’s edge, and into the interior of the fire. As the fire burns away from the containment lines the threats of spot fires outside the established hand line will diminish.

As expected, containment increased near the or Yosemite Ski and Snow Board Area (Badger Pass). A spike camp, or a smaller satellite camp, is established at the ski area to reduce drive time to this portion of the fire. All other incident personnel remain at the Incident Command Post in Ahwahnee.

Significate milestones have been accomplished by firefighters along the perimeter of the fire, allowing Yosemite National Park to announce the reopening of Wawona and Mariposa Grove to visitors today. As visitors and residents, return to the area, they may continue to see visible smoke within the perimeter of the fire. Vegetation is dense throughout the fire area, and the large down logs and trees may burn and produce smoke for some time.

Suppression repair efforts continue on large portions of the fire perimeter. The main effort of the repair group is to mitigate the effects of suppression. This may include repairing dozer and hand line, using heavy equipment to build water bars, bring in berms and vegetation.

Weather: Monsoonal moisture will linger today, maintaining the chance for showers and thunderstorms over the Sierra Crest. Maximum temperatures between 91 and 102 will be expected and relative humidity will be similar to yesterday, between 16 and 26 percent.

Area Opportunities:
Visitors returning to the area should be mindful of firefighters, equipment, and road construction delays. For information regarding visiting Yosemite Park call (209) 372-0200. The unique gateway communities of Yosemite National Park are open for visitors, including Bass Lake, south of Yosemite on Highway 41. Highway 120 also known as Yosemite’s Tioga Road is open through the Park, this includes Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center, White Wolf Campground, Soda Spring, Tenaya Lake, and Lembert Dome. The Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests have abundant outdoor recreation opportunities.

Closures and Restrictions:

Road Closures:
•Highway 140 (El Portal Road) east from the entrance of Yosemite National Park
•Wawona Road to Yosemite Valley (Residents Only to Yosemite West.)
•Yosemite Valley

Yosemite National Park:
Yosemite Valley remains closed. For more information, go to nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.

U.S Forest Service: A closure order is in effect Groveland Ranger District in the vicinity of the Ferguson Fire on the Stanislaus National Forest. The Sierra National Forest Closure due to the Ferguson Fire can be found at the Sierra National Forest website.

Evacuations: Yosemite Valley (Residence and Employees only were allowed to enter at 10 AM, August 8, 2018.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Donnell Fire Update 8/13

Post by maverick »

SNF:
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Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Carson Pass Smoke Report 8/11

Post by maverick »

Lyle Gordon wrote on SNCC-TPP:
Quite smoky looking South (towards the Donnell fire) from the saddle just below round top peak near Carson pass. Could smell smoke at the saddle. Looking north and the hike in was a bit better.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Smoke Report 100 Is Lakes 8/10

Post by maverick »

Lori Ellen on SNCC-TPP wrote:
Images by our guide Fred from a recent 5-day trip down the John Muir Trail. Zoom in to see the hikers in the second frame! The fourth one shows lingering smoke from the Lions Fire but overall the report was “not too bad”! @ Thousand Island Lake
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Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Smoke Report Forester Pass 8/8

Post by maverick »


Yuichi Otoda wrote on THS:
Forester Pass (Aug. 8). Viewing Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park.
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Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: 2018 Fire and Smoke Impact Reports

Post by lauralai627 »

Quick smoke report from our 8-day trip (8/4-8/11) into Taboose Pass, down the JMT/PCT over Pinchot and out at Sawmill Pass.

On 8/3 and 8/4 there was heavy smoke driving down the 395 starting in Mammoth and continuing down to Taboose.
haze395.jpg
Moderate smoke for the first few miles up Taboose. I had difficulty breathing for the first few miles until we were able to get a bit higher. I have never had breathing issues like that and almost decided to turn back!
hazetaboose.jpg
No smoke at the top of the pass but looking back you could see the red/gray haze (sorry about the ridiculous photo - look past the Bass Pro hat to see the haze)
smokeview.jpg
8/10, no smoke at Sawmill Pass.
no smoke.jpg
On 8/11, we could see smoke in the valley coming down off Sawmill but it wasn't bad and we didn't have any issues (or breathing problems).
smoke1.jpg
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