Yosemite Foresta Big Meadow Fire Photo, Foresta, Sunday, 8/30/09 11am

Concerning the Big Meadow fire:  The Tioga Road is being closed from Crane Flat to White Wolf due to smoke on the road imparing driver visibilty and therefore the safety of drivers and firefighters.    We will advise when road conditions improve.

Gary Wuchner
Fire Education and Information Manager
Yosemite National Park
PO Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389
(209) 372-0480
(209) 742-8990 (cell)
gary_wuchner@nps.gov

The Skycranes that have been coming down to the Merced river right next to Hwy 140 are amazing to watch. They get right in there so low and with very little room for error.

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This is the little "Control Burn" that got out of control and almost burned down Foresta.

1st clip is at Crane Flat Heli Base, next clip is from Hwy 41 looking over at Foresta

View from deck of Shasky House and then over to Hilltop Cabins to watch the big back burn. It was very loud.

Taken Friday 8.28.09

The residents of Foresta, a tiny community located just inside Yosemite’s western boundary, have seen their share of fire. In 1990, 45 structures were burned in the devastating A-Rock Fire.

Since then, residents have worked closely with park fire managers to reduce hazard fuels and prevent future loss through a variety of projects including prescribed fire, mastication, property clearing, and proactive community planning, including developing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

This is looking down from Martins to where Annies house is and this huge back burn started by Hilltop and moved over to Annies.

This series shows the entrance to the old campground then goes down the road to martins, over to galleries and the to hilltop cabins.

The last 3 photos are very note worthy as it shows a small spot fire starting in front of hilltop right in front of me! The fire fighters jumped right on it.

All the fire you see behind galleries and hilltop was a back burn they did on friday with lots of support around.

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Taken 8.27.09 in Foresta showing how close the fire got to our home and the bull dozer line

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These show the hillside going over to our neighbors house, views of their house and then views of Foresta from their deck.

AMAZING this house did not burn as it burned up underneath the deck.

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I am finally getting around to uploading all the photos I have taken over the last 3 days as well as other folks sent to me.

Her we are looking right down into Foresta from Hwy 120 after the fire. Sent to me and probably taken 8.30.09

Yosemite National Park, 8/31/09 from NPS Frequently Asked Questions About the Big Meadow Fire

A community meeting was held in El Portal last evening with Yosemite National Park Acting Superintendent Dave Uberuaga and other Incident leaders. A number of important questions were asked by employees and residents. Following are four of the most frequently asked questions and answers:

Why did the National Park Service ignite the Big Meadow fire in August? The Big Meadow prescribed fire was initiated based upon a written and pre-determined “window” of very specific conditions (temperature, humidity, fuel type, wind speed, smoke dispersal, etc.). At the time of ignition all conditions were within this window. Prescribed fires may be done any month of the year depending upon the objectives of the burn.

Why couldn’t the meadow be burned in much cooler conditions? The Park uses prescribed fire to accomplish specific objectives. In the case of the Big Meadow fire, those objectives were meadow restoration and the maintenance of fire resistant vegetation for the Foresta Community. For vegetation to burn it must be sufficiently dry and flammable to maintain a fire. The prescription for the Big Meadow burn was based upon these objectives.

The troops have arrived in El Portal. The fire trucks are rolling in and the sky cranes are hard at work. Still no real fire visible yet on the ridge above El Portal where the fire is coming from.

Our house is shaking every time one of the sky cranes comes over heading to the river.

The fire is also up in Crane Creek.

NPS has finally made the call to bring in structure protection for El Portal as they feel it is in danger from this fire. Inside sources say that NPS does not feel very confident that they can keep the fire from reaching El Portal.

I hope they bring in hundreds of trucks since it is their fire!