Yosemite Fire Gains in Size

The fire which began August 26th just outside Yosemite National Park is now more than just a nuisance for residents of the Foothills.

For those in the California Mother Lode area, the Big Meadow Fire has become more than a nuisance factor in our daily lives due to the increased size of the fire and the wind shifts which have brought smoke into several communities nearby. Dr Todd Stoltz of the Tuolumne County Health dept. has advised members of the community with health issues to remain indoors and avoid outdoor exposure to the particulate matter as much as possible. The Big Meadow Fire began as a fire control effort with a 91 acre prescribed burn at Big Meadow on August 26th, within just a couple of hours of beginning the controlled burn, the fire was no longer under control. With erratic winds which began shortly after the burn began, embers began to travel downwind and a single dry cedar tree was the source of further embers which started spot fires beyond the perimeter of the prescribed fire. Now at day six, the fire has burned over 3,500 acres and the community of Foresta is evacuated along with Crane Flat and Tamarck Flat Campgrounds, Old El Portal, and Yosemite View Lodge in Yosemite National Park. Some road closures are also in effect in the area and travellers can have some difficulty getting into or out of Yosemite from the West entrance. The Turtleback Dome webcam offers a view of the area being fought for by nearly one thousand firefighters as of this weekend. For those of us in the area, the view of a large plume, while spectacular, is an unwelcome sight. The current lie down of the fire though is when the smoke causes the most trouble for those with respiratory problems. The area of the fire was also the scene of a previous fire, the 1990 A-Rock fire.