Conditions described here were accurate only as of the date shown and may have changed. This is not a substitute for current official information from the agency with jurisdiction. See the full notice. Full notice.
Dome Fire Reaches 34 Percent as the Cool Spell Ends
5,392 acres. Crews tied in more of the north and northeast edge; warmer, drier weather returns for the rest of the week.
The Dome Fire grew 177 acres since Monday morning and is 34 percent contained, the Park Service says. It covers 5,392 acres, with 796 people assigned.
Cooler temperatures and higher humidity slowed the fire on Monday, and crews used the break to tie more of the perimeter into control lines along the north and northeast. They are also improving indirect and contingency lines out ahead of the fire. Pack mules are hauling out equipment that is no longer needed and bringing in supplies and medical support, and replacement crews continue to arrive.
The incident's InciWeb update says the most active fire is in dense, closed-canopy red fir, where torching trees have thrown spot fires ahead of the line. Managers expect northward growth to slow further in the 2017 Empire Fire burn. The bigger concern is the west and southwest, where any fire backing downslope would reach heavier mixed conifer.
The break is ending. Warmer and drier weather returns through the rest of the week, and the park expects south to southwest winds gusting to 25 mph through the weekend. Smoke today is forecast moderate in Yosemite Valley and Wawona, with periods unhealthy for sensitive groups in Wawona morning and overnight.
Some incident personnel are attending this morning's procession in Modesto for the two helicopter pilots killed on the fire, Ryan Cutter and Greg King.
Glacier Point Road remains closed with no reopening date; the Four Mile and Panorama trails to Glacier Point are open. The Chilnualna Falls trail, the trails beyond it toward Buena Vista and Crescent Lakes, and the Ostrander Lake Trail and everything south of it are closed.
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