Ferguson Fire worst-case scenario would hit Yosemite West, incident commander says

The worst-case scenario for the Ferguson Fire would be a blaze that stretches into Yosemite West and south into the Chowchilla Mountains, according to the incident commander Tuesday night.

Mike Strawhun, addressing a community meeting at the Wasuma Elementary School cafeteria in Ahwahnee, said 1,500 firefighters are engaged against the blaze that sparked Friday off Highway 140 near El Portal near the entrance to Yosemite National Park.

He added the number could grow to about 2,000 within the next two days. The fire was up to 13,082 acres and was 5 percent contained, according to a tweet by Cal Fire around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Dean Gould, Sierra National Forest supervisor, said about 60 more U.S. Forest Service officers would arrive Wednesday to help with “command and control” operations.

Tuesday, Gould issued a closure order for forest areas around the Ferguson Fire.

This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 8:49 PM.