Fire Season 2014

[John]

Yeah, thanks Mike. That sucks if it makes it above the road. They had a controlled burn last year but I remember it was below the current fire closer to the Pumphouse turnoff so it probably won't help on this one. This is really depressing.

[susan]

This is very scarey news. Sickening. 

Yes - thank you for keeping us posted.

Gonna watch the movie Noah now.

[mungeclimber]

http://www.sierranewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3983%3Afrench-fire-at-3-600-acres&Itemid=468

[daniel banquo merrick]

the fire jumped the road by the mile high over look and is heading up to the eagle beaks

That's bad news.

Grizzly road is closed.

Zero containment.

[John]

It looks like the fire has jumped the road and is heading up Shuteye Ridge. It is even burning down on the other side of Mammoth Pools where the Aspen Fire was burning last year.

I found a fire sensing satellite page for downloading to Google Earth but I don't know how accurate it is.
http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/googleearth.php

Looks like this:

[NateD]

 

Did they figure out how the Aspen fire started way down there last year? Mysterious location for a fire to start. Pot farms?? Power lines?

[John]

Aspen was from lightning.

I bet this fire is from someone camping down the Rock Creek Rd. The only other thing down there is a mine but it looks out of commission last time we were there.

[John]

Recent article on the fire and a good map:

http://www.sierranewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3984:french-fire-gains-2-000-acres-overnight&Itemid=468

[John]

They have evacuated and closed down much of the Southern Yosemite area. Only Beasore Rd and the extreme end of Minarets Rd is open. Not a good sign.

[susan]

sooooo depressed 

The area is never going to be the same in our lifetimes.

[John]

It is 10% contained but that appears to be on the Eastern flank, close to the river where the Aspen Fire ended. Doesn't look like much left to burn over there. Over 1000 people fighting it! Wow.

Hope for the best today.

[mungeclimber]

7k acreage, wow

[donutnational]

I came here looking for smoke reports and  I thought I'd add my smoke report from yesterday afternoon (7/30/14).  We went up Central Camp Road to the shut eye jeep trail  turnoff to do some shuttle bike riding and bouldering.  No one was out there and there was no indication that the road or jeep trail were closed.  Went up around 3 pm and the smoke became almost tolerable the higher you got.  Smoke was hideous coming through Auberry to North Fork but not as bad at bass lake.  I'm  guessing it's worse in the am.

[donutnational]

Forest closure order includes shuteye look out. http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3810863.pdf

[susan]

Donutnational - glad to see you post here. Thanks for posting that up. 

Helps give some perspective, though, 7000 acres in only a few days is bleak especially facing hot gusty weather. Damn westerly winds.

Maybe that fire was started by campers Saturday night/Sunday morning as it was looking out of hand by 6:am Monday when first reported. If so, this could be the 5th instead of 3rd day of damage. But even with a little help from some rain, which probably also brought some more logistical issues, that's a lot more acreage consumed.

googled 7000 acres and came up with about 11 square miles