Yosemite-area fire burns two homes near Mariposa. Evacuations and Highway 140 status updated
Highway 140 through Mariposa has reopened and evacuation orders for residents west of the mountain town have been lifted as firefighters continue to battle the Agua Fire in the Sierra Nevada.
But the reopening came only after two homes and another structure were destroyed by the fire, Cal Fire information officer Jaime Williams said Tuesday afternoon.
Cal Fire reported Tuesday morning at 343 acres, remains about 20% contained. The fire started Monday afternoon after a vehicle drove off a road and crashed, sparking the flames near Highway 140 and Agua Fria Road.
Highway 140, one of the main routes from the San Joaquin Valley to Yosemite National Park, had been closed since Monday afternoon but was reopened by 3 p.m. Tuesday for traffic to move at limited speeds through the fire area.
Cal Fire announced that Monday’s evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday afternoon for areas along Agua Fria Road, Gold Leaf Road, Yaqui Gulch Road, Paso del Oso Road, Oak Canyon Drive, and Bumgardner Road north of Highway 140.
As mandatory evacuations were dropped, the American Red Cross announced that it was closing its temporary shelter that had been set up in Mariposa for evacuees.
Williams said full containment of the fire is expected Thursday.
“We have some areas (within the fire perimeter) that are requiring very heavy mop-up,” she said. “There is vegetation that didn’t consume all the way” within the containment lines, creating more work for firefighters to ensure those areas aren’t reignited.
This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 4:14 PM.
