Rim Fire Is Cold?

Tuolumne County, CA – The Incident Command says a lot of areas in the perimeter are cold and cooler temperatures are helping firefighters. Tonight’s temperatures will be in the 50’s. The fire has grown about 400 acres to 255,560 or 399 square miles and is still 80% contained. The number of firefighters went up slightly to 2,764. I.C. says that increase was due to a shift change. The cost is now $105 million.

Incident Command Spokesperson Michelle Jimeneza-Holtz says, “Firefighters continued repairing and mop up the northwest and south perimeters. In a lot of areas, the ground is cold now so that is awesome. They are going to continue to do some repair and rehab tonight.”

Fire Officials say today’s fire behavior was minimal to moderate in interior areas that have been contained for over a week. The fire is still active inside of the containment lines in the Clavey River, Reynolds Creek and Jawbone Creek drainages as well as to the west of Harden Lake, Harden Road and Tioga Road. The I.C expects moderate fire spread to the northeast into Yosemite Wilderness areas north of Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Also, Jimeneza-Holtz says we could see more smoke the next couple of days as a cold front from the north will cause the winds to shift to the northwest.

Below are all closures and openings related to the Rim Fire directly from the I.C.

Park and Forest Closures:

Yosemite National Park has closed Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along Tioga Road. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge remain closed. The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District, east of State Route 108.

Road Openings:

Evergreen Road is opened to Evergreen Lodge. State Hwy 120 is open to Crane Flat. The Big Oak Flat Road is open. Businesses are open and providing services (gasoline, food and lodging) for travelers.

Road Closures:

State Route 120 (Tioga Road) remains closed from Crane Flat to 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf. Park visitors can access Tuolumne Meadows from SR-395 via the park entrance at Tioga Pass. Cherry Lake Road is closed at State Route 120. Evergreen Road, Old Yosemite Road