Yosemite Photos, Video and News

Avalanche Fire, Yosemite Fires - Update #14 – August 18, 2011 

Avalanche Fire: (N37 39.794 x W119 42.238; 6,400’el. Mariposa Co.) The Avalanche fire is a lightning caused fire in congressionally designated Wilderness near the vicinity of Chinquapin.  The fire has been burning since it was discovered on the afternoon of July 31, 2011 during a reconnaissance flight near Avalanche Creek and Glacier Point Road.   

Park and fire mangers have made the decision to contain the fire to 1,075 acres.  It is contained within the confines of Glacier Point, Wawona, and Old Glacier Point Roads.  The decision to contain the fire was made for several reasons including:

Weather forecasts for the next several days indicate poor smoke dispersal; containing the fire will lessen potential negative smoke impacts to adjacent communities

Public and firefighter safety along Glacier Point Road and Wawona Road with anticipated increased traffic during the upcoming Labor Day Holiday

Avalanche Fire, Yosemite Fires - Update #12 – August 15, 2011

Avalanche Fire: (37 39.794 x 119 42.238; 6,400’el. Mariposa Co.)  This lightning caused fire has been burning in Yosemite National Park since it was discovered on the afternoon of July 31, 2011.  The fire was observed during a reconnaissance flight near Avalanche Creek and Glacier Point Road within Yosemite’s congressionally designated wilderness area.  The fire is at 940 acres.   At present the fire continues to be managed for multiple objectives including resource values, community protection and firefighter safety.  

You are looking at the Avalanche Fire in Yosemite with the full moon rising. The orange glow of the fire is visible center right as is the blue lights of the ranger car on the Glacier Point Road. More car lights are visible on Hwy 41 below. This shows how the smoke settles down slope in the evening.

1st image is on Hwy 140 by the Arch Rock Entrance station taken at 9am, the smoke really settles in the Merced River Canyon in the evening and early morning.
2nd photo is at 9:15 am and is from Hwy 120 looking across the Merced River Canyon over at the fire. You can see how the smoke settles into the canyon.
3rd photo is from Hwy 120 at 10:30 am and shows how the smoke has started to move up the canyon into Yosemite Valley as is the case every day between 11am and about 11pm.

Avalanche Fire, Yosemite Fires - Update #11 – August 12, 2011

Avalanche Fire: (37 39.794 x 119 42.238; 6,400’el. Mariposa Co.)  This lightning caused fire has been burning in Yosemite National Park since it was discovered on the afternoon of July 31, 2011.  The fire was observed during a reconnaissance flight near Avalanche Creek and Glacier Point Road within Yosemite’s congressionally designated wilderness area.  The fire is at 715 acres.   At present the fire continues to be managed for multiple objectives including resource values, community protection and firefighter safety.  The fire could potentially grow to 5,800 acres.

Avalanche Fire, Yosemite Fires - Update #10 – August 10, 2011 

Avalanche Fire: (37 39.794 x 119 42.238; 6,400’el. Mariposa Co.)  This lightning caused fire was found on the afternoon of July 31, 2011.  The fire is at 404 acres.  The fire could potentially grow to 5,800 acres. 

Firefighters are igniting fuels (firing) along spur ridges to bring a backing fire towards Glacier Point Road. The operation will increase the acres and amount of visible smoke. Firefighters remain on scene through nighttime hours to insure holding the fire to the east of Glacier Point Road. As the fire moves closer to the roadways, the presence of firefighters, fire equipment and smoke will increase.  Drivers are urged to adhere to posted 25mph speed limits, possible single lane closures and traffic officer instructions. 

Combined with previous fires, roadside mechanical thinning, vegetation debris pile burning, and prescribed fires, this fire will provide a defensible fire buffer to the community of Yosemite West, Badger Pass Ski Resort, Glacier Point and other park infrastructures.  Although numerous fires have occurred in the area, the most recent being the 2009, 3,500 ac. Grouse Fire, this area has no recorded fire history.  Extensive logging did occur in the early 1900’s.  Given the time of the year, seasonal severity, fuels, weather and topography, this fire will meet the objectives with minimal risk to other values, including firefighter and public safety, federal and public property, air quality, and Wilderness values and character.

The fire is within the park’s Wilderness boundary and will be managed for multiple objectives.  The fire is creeping and smoldering through duff and other surface fuels.  Another rational for this fire is to restore landscape resiliency in a portion of the park that has not burned in recent history.  Lightning fires have shaped the forest landscape for thousands of years.  The fire will rid the forest of an overabundance of dead and down surface fuels and smaller diameter shade tolerant trees. Wildland fires create open spaces (mosaics) within dense forest, allowing sunlight to penetrate the forest floor.  The fire will enhance wildlife habitat and the ability of animals to move through the forest. 

 Today the lightning caused, let burn, Avalanche Fire really flared up and pumped out a LOT of smoke that filled Yosemite Valley and the surrounding areas. It was so thick that the walls of Yosemite Valley were hard to make out through the haze.
It also blew up into the Tuolumne Meadows area but it was not as bad there.
This photo was taken at Olmsted Point on Hwy 120 by Tenaya Lake and is looking west towards Yosemite Valley. Normally one would see a beautiful blue sky with Clouds Rest and Half Dome in the view but I could not even see a hint of Half Dome. One can only imagine how the smoke was in the valley below.

The Avalanche Fire, a lightning caused fire that is burning just above the Glacier Point road about 2 miles in, is kicking up a lot of smoke as it grows larger. This is a let burn fire so it will be around for quite awhile. The smoke has been heading into Yosemite Valley the last couple of days slightly obscuring views and washing out the blue sky.
It is hard to predict where the smoke will go but generally it will blow east into Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne area during the day and then settle into the Merced River Canyon, El Portal area, at night. When the Grouse Creek Fire was burning 2 years ago, this was just east of this new fire, the smoke got real bad.
As these "let burn" fires go expect it to grow quite large as they manage it.
In these photos the Glacier Point Road is just below the fire.

The Avalanche Fire is now at 8 acres (4:PM - 8/4/2011). The smoke column is very visible throughout the front of the Park. Planning is continuing.