Foresta fire grows, visitors undeterred

Visitors to Yosemite fill El Capitan Meadow Monday afternoon. Amy Alonzo Rozak/Union Democrat, copyright 2009

The fire, blazing about two miles east of El Portal, grew to almost 5,000 acres, or more than seven square miles, and was 55 percent contained on Monday, according to park officials.
 

 Highway 120, known as the Big Oak Flat Road within the park, is closed from the Crane Flat Gas Station to its intersection with El Portal Road, also known as Highway 140. Due to heavy smoke and poor visibility, Tioga Road from Crane Flat to White Wolf also has been closed until further notice.

Jaime Mundo, a former Sugar Pine resident who now lives in Seattle, was sorting gear Monday afternoon in preparation for a seven-day rock climbing trip with two friends up El Capitan. He said the fire didn’t influence their decision to climb, but it did change their travel route.

Departing from Twain Harte, the trio intended to take Highway 120 through Groveland and into Yosemite Valley. Instead, they took La Grange Road, also known as J-59, into Merced to do some shopping and then followed Highway 140 up to Yosemite.

Mundo said he was “really, really bummed” when he heard about the fire because he has friends who live in Foresta.

The small cabin community, which the prescribed burn was meant to protect, has been evacuated. An evacuation order for Old El Portal and the Yosemite View Lodge was lifted Monday evening.

The prescribed burn ran beyond its planned boundary when wind swept embers into dry tinder on Aug. 26.

Visiting Yosemite for the first time, Aaron Albano drove with his family to the park from the Sacramento area. He had also planned to drive Highway 120, but instead continued south on Highway 49 at Moccasin. Once he reached Mariposa, he took Highway 140 to the park. The other access to Yosemite Valley is via Highway 41 through Oakhurst.

“We were kind of worried because we thought it might be way out of the way,” Albano said of his detour to Mariposa.

On Monday, crews made progress strengthening fire lines on the south and west flanks of the fire, park officials said. The fire is most active along its northern flank, moving toward Tioga Road near Tamarack Flat and the upper Crane Creek drainage.

Tamarack and Crane Flat campgrounds are closed, as are the Old Big Oak Flat trailhead to El Capitan, Rockslides trail to El Capitan and Tamarack Creek trail to El Capitan. Visitors still have access to Hodgdon Meadow Campground near the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station.

Park officials said the road from the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station to Crane Flat will close from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. for at least the next three days to allow fire crews to change shifts and move equipment.

As of Monday, fire crews swelled to 968 personnel. Eighty-two engines, 16 water tenders, 10 helicopters and six air tankers are being used to fight the inferno. The estimated cost of the fire as of Monday morning was $5.7 million, according to fire officials.

Crews expect to have full containment of the fire by Sept. 10.

A fire update meeting was held Monday night at the El Portal School, and a second is planned for 6:30 tonight at the Tenaya Elementary School gymnasium in Groveland.

Lynn Upthagrove, owner of the Hotel Charlotte in Groveland, said the timing of the fire is even worse as the Labor Day holiday weekend approaches. 

“We’ve got some people coming through, but its not (typical) August volumes,” she said Monday. “There’s been tons of cancellations. People just aren’t coming through.”