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Dome Fire Crews Push East Line Before Weekend Winds and Cooling
6,760 acres and 40 percent contained. A trough brings wind Saturday, then significantly cooler weather and a slight chance of rain.
The Dome Fire is 6,760 acres and 40 percent contained, the Park Service said Monday morning, with 1,063 people assigned. Crews kept the fire from growing on its north, west and south sides on Monday and made good progress building line on the eastern edge, where it is still active, the incident's InciWeb update says. Helicopters flew 29 missions.
Today crews are working from both the north and the south to close the line on the east side, using broad areas of granite as firebreaks where they cannot attack the fire directly. Mule trains are hauling equipment and supplies to remote crews, which frees helicopters for water drops. The federal incident report filed Monday evening lists 915 personnel and an estimated final cost of $40 million.
The weather is about to change. High pressure keeps afternoons very warm and dry through at least Thursday. A low-pressure trough is likely to reach the West Coast Friday, with winds expected to peak around Saturday, followed by significant cooling this weekend and a slight chance of precipitation early next week, mainly in the mountains. The wind ahead of that system is the risk to watch on a fire whose east side is not yet closed.
On closures, the two federal sources disagree again. InciWeb now says the Chilnualna Falls Trail is open from the trailhead east to Chilnualna Fall and Crescent Lake, and the Alder Creek Trail is open north to the Deer Camp Trailhead. The park's Monday update still lists the Chilnualna Falls Trail and the trails beyond it toward Buena Vista and Crescent Lakes as closed. Until the park confirms a reopening, treat them as closed.
Glacier Point Road remains closed, with no reopening date; the Four Mile and Panorama trails to Glacier Point are open. All trails inside the fire footprint are closed, including every south- and eastbound trail off Glacier Point Road, the Ostrander Lake Trail, and the Mono Meadow and Buena Vista trails. The park had not posted a Tuesday update when this was written.
Sources