Here’s where the Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park is burning
UPDATE 9:30 a.m. Thursday: The Washburn Fire continued to grow overnight Wednesday, pushing further east beyond the Yosemite National Park boundary and the Mariposa/Madera County line into the Sierra National Forest.
As of Thursday morning, the fire is now estimated at almost 4,400 acres. But the more than 1,000 firefighters battling the wildfire were able to increase containment to about 23%, up from 17% on Wednesday.
Orginal story:
The Washburn Fire at Yosemite National Park has burned nearly 4,000 acres and was at 17% containment as of midday Wednesday.
The fire ignited during the afternoon of July 7 near the Washburn Trail in the Mariposa Grove area of the national park.
And because there was no lightning on the day that the fire started, according to Yosemite National Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon, it appears the fire was caused by people. However, incident managers say the cause is under investigation.
There are 1,045 crew members assigned to the Washburn Fire, including everything from forest crews, hotshot crews, engines of various sizes, water tenders, and bulldozers, according to Stanley Bercovitz, a spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service and part of the California Incident Management Agency.
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 5:30 PM.
