Two wildfires burning near Yosemite, with smoke expected to increase in Yosemite Valley
A couple of wildfires continue to burn in the Sierra Forest and Yosemite National Park on Wednesday.
The Red Fire and Rodgers Fire have burned about 3,600 acres between them though they have been slowed by natural barriers, according to Yosemite Fire.
Each began within a few days of each other — Aug. 4 and 8 — and were sparked by lightning storms up around 8,000 feet elevation, Yosemite Fire said.
Granite in the areas around the fire keeps it from spreading on some if its borders. No structures were immediately threatened, Yosemite Fire said.
Creeks still flowing with water and green meadows in the area also give the fires less to burn, according to Operations Section Chief Russ Mitchell with Yosemite Fire.
The Red Fire was burning between Red Creek and Illilouette Creek, while the Rodgers was northwest of Rodgers Canyon and southwest of Pleasant Valley.
The Red Fire saw greater activity on Tuesday while humidity was low, temperatures were high and winds blew into the area, firefighters said. Its northern end had the most active flames.
“With this increase in fire growth, smoke production increased through the afternoon and will result in more smoke in Yosemite Valley and the Merced River drainage toward El Portal,” firefighters said in a Facebook post.
A segment of trail between Pate Valley and the Pacific Crest Trail was temporarily closed due to fire activity, and so was part of a trail along Illilouette Creek from Mt. Starr King to Lower Merced Pass Lake.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 10:37 AM.
