The Eastern Sierra Mountains and sunny weather make the Mammoth Lakes area an absolute blast during the summer. While low rain, high temperatures, and wilderness make for great outdoor summer adventures, they also make for high fire danger.
With the number of people visiting the Eastern Sierra and the current high fire danger, the ASO Mammoth team has been tracking wildfires in the area and sharing whatever information we can. Unfortunately, another fire has started near Yosemite, so we’ve listed what you need to know about it the Red Fire in Yosemite National Park below.
The Red Fire is Small and in a Remote Area of Yosemite
Fortunately, the Red Fire has currently burned just under 500 acres of land. Although that’s still a lot of land, compared to other wildfires it is relatively small. For example, the Washburn Fire which threatened the famous Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias earlier this year burned over 4,800 acres before it was contained.
Although the Red Fire is currently 0% contained, visitors do not need to worry about it affecting their travel plans beyond potential smoke. The fire is burning in a remote part of the park where natural barriers like granite walls are being used to confine and contain it. As a result, there have been no trail closures and there are no current threats for the fire to damage park infrastructure.
How to Track the Red Fire
One of the fastest ways to get current information on the Red Fire is by checking out the incident page on InciWeb. There you’ll find detailed and up to date information about the size, area, and containment of all wildfires in an area.
For the Red Fire, one of the biggest issues for visitors could be smoke blowing into the more popular areas of the park. Although smoke is mostly just irritating, if you’re sensitive to air pollution then it could be much more. Not only could smoke block the views that you came to Yosemite for, but it could also cause respiratory problems for sensitive people. That’s why you should check sites like PurpleAir and AirNow before visiting when there are fires in the area.
Yosemite National Park social media pages will also be great places to find up to date information on fire status and any potential closures in the park.
Practice Fire Safety Now More than Ever
Although the Red Fire was started by a lightning strike, most wildfires are started by human activity. With the current fire danger it’s important now more than ever for anyone in Yosemite or the Eastern Sierra to practice fire safety.
Follow all local fire restrictions, use established fire pits, and always extinguish your fires completely before leaving your campsite!