US Forest Service Outlook for Yosemite Fire

Incident Overview 8-29-11 8:00 am

Crews made good progress on the fire throughout the night. The fire was most active on the east side. There were a couple of hot spots on the west side of the fire, other areas showed little activity. There was no movement on the north side of the fire. Air support continues to help support the crews as needed.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Motor Home Fire
Date of Origin	Thursday August 25th, 2011 approx. 12:30 PM
Location	Merced River Canyon
Incident Commander	David Cooper

Current Situation

Total Personnel	818
Size	4,755 acres
Percent Contained	35%
Estimated Containment Date	Friday September 09th, 2011 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	6, Pine and brush.
Fire Behavior	Active fire continues to move east into Moss Canyon. Low to moderate fire activity on the west flank of the fire; some roll out across the containment line produced an area of active fire on the norht west side of the fire. South of the Merced River showed little to moderate activity throughout the day.
Significant Events	Mandatory evacuations: Rancheria, Cedar Lodge, Incline, El Portal Trailer Village and local Merced River Canyon Campgrounds. Mandatory Road Closures: Highway 140, from the Foresta Bridge west is closed, Incline Road, and Forest Rd 1S12. There is no estimation as to when the will re-open. Old El Portal is advised to prepare for evacuations, this is a pre-evacuation.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Crews continue to construct line on the east side of the fire. The use of a DC-10 airtanker supported this operation, crews will reinforce retardant lines.
Growth Potential	Significant
Terrain Difficulty	The fire is terrain driven in very steep canyon slopes, and has burned to the top of the ridges above the Merced River on both sides of the canyon.
Remarks	DC-10 was used to support direct line efforts on the west side of the fire, good progress was made with Type one hand crews during the operational period. Local Law enforcement recommend procationary measures. Stay away from Hwy 140 heading to Yosemite National Park.