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Meadow Fire: 4,434 acres scorched as fire continues near Yosemite's Half Dome
A photo shared by Yosemite National Park shows the Meadow Fire burning in the Little Yosemite Valley area, a popular tourist destination.
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Courtesy of Yosemite National Park
)
A wildfire in Yosemite National Park that earlier forced the evacuation of hikers and climbers at the summit of Half Dome had burned 4,434 acres as of Tuesday.
Fire crews and air resources included 327 personnel and eight helicopters, and the fire was 5 percent contained, according to the park's website.
The park had earlier reported that approximately 100 hikers and backpackers were evacuated from the fire area and 85 hikers and climbers were evacuated from Half Dome on September 7 due to the rapid spread of the fire.
Closures
As of Tuesday, the fire was burning within Little Yosemite Valley between Half Dome and Mount Starr King on both sides of the Merced River.
A portion of Yosemite Wilderness is closed as marked on the map below. The area will be closed until further notice is given.
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Features and facilities that are closed include, but are not limited to:
- Little Yosemite Valley
- The John Muir Trail between Little Yosemite Valley and Long Meadow.
- All routes on Half Dome including the Cables, NW Regular Route, and Snake Dike.
- Sunrise and Merced Lake High Sierra Camps and backpackers' camps.
- The Sunrise Trail south of the Tenaya Lake Trail junction.
- Clouds Rest, Sunrise Lakes, Emeric Lake, and Babcock Lake.
Recreation and businesses remain open in the park, except for the trail areas and campsite listed below:
- Echo Creek Drainage to Little Yosemite Valley
- Sunrise Creek Drainage to Little Yosemite Valley
- Merced River Corridor to Merced Lake Ranger Station
- Sunrise Trail to Clouds Rest from Tenaya Lake
- Bridalveil Creek Campground
These trails and areas remain open:
- The Mist, John Muir, and Panorama Trails to the top of Nevada Fall.
- Vogelsang Backpackers' Camp.
- The Tenaya Lake Trail
- Fletcher Creek Trail between Vogelsang and Merced Lake Ranger Station
Click the link here to see information for schools and check California Smoke Information blog for current air quality updates for this incident.
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