YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (CN) — Even though the Washburn Fire grew during the overnight hours the iconic Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park remains unharmed.
As of Tuesday morning, the wildfire has burned 3,221 acres and is 22% contained. Crews are beginning to gain the upper hand on the south and west side of the fire and additional crews are working to build containment lines along the Mariposa Grove, the residence of giant sequoia trees more than 3,000 years old, and the east side of the fire.
Extreme terrain is making building containment lines difficult but doable, incident team commanders said at the meeting on Monday evening.
Most of the growth of the fire occurred on the northwest and northeast sides of the fire — toward the small community of Wawona and Star Mine. The fire has so far burned down to the South Fork of the Merced River but has not jumped the river. Containment lines have so far held the fire within the boundaries of the lines. This has allowed crews to work on stopping spot fires from gaining the upper hand.
In a map released Tuesday morning, the fire has been declared contained along sections of Hwy 41 and a few sections near Mariposa Grove. The light winds are helping fire crews, but the dense undergrowth and high temperatures are encouraging strong fire activity.
Crews will continue to work on building contingency lines, strengthening containment lines and dropping fire retardant near the Mariposa Grove area, as the fire continues to burn along the edges of the famous group of trees.
The blaze was dubbed the Washburn fire because it was first noticed Thursday, July 7, along the Washburn Trail near the Mariposa Grove. Local crews were initially dispatched and an incident command team was requested to take over — which they did the next day, July 8.
When the fire began, the area had a number of large, dead and thick trees with a large amount of undergrowth and vegetation that the Washburn fire started to burn through. This led the fire to exhibit signs of torching in its early days.
The crews have installed a sprinkler system around the trees in Mariposa Grove, this is not only keeping the trees wet but increasing the relative humidity in the area. These actions helped keep the fire from spreading into the famous grove.
The fire is moving more to the east, though at a slow pace, burning through a number of thick vegetation.
The command team will release updates twice a day or as needed.
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