The motor home from the "Motor" fire.
Credit: USFS
Motor, Sierra NF. Thirteen miles northeast of Mariposa, CA. Chaparral. Minimal fire activity.
September 2, 2011 at 7:04 AM
Crews continue to work toward full containment of the Motor Fire. Fire activity remains minimal allowing crews to continue fire line rehabilitation. A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team will also be assigned to the incident to assess the fire area for needed rehabilitation. Burned area rehabilitation means to repair or improve lands damaged by the fire that are unlikely to recover on their own. The extent of repair will vary depending upon intended use of the forest after the fire. BAER Teams are intended to reduce further damage to land being temporarily exposed while in a fragile condition. Demob continues with a goal of reducing numbers for the transition to the Type Three organization this morning September 2, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.
September 2, 2011 at 5:46 AM
Crews continued to mop up hot spots on Divisions P and R that were well inside the fire line. Demobilization of resources continued as the Incident Management Team prepares to transition into a Type 3 organization. Minimal heat remaining within the fire perimeter allowed for crews to begin fire suppression damage repair. Fire suppression damage repair means to rehabilitate damage caused during fire suppression activities. For example, the dozers will pull berms back onto the trail and return the line to original grade to prevent concentrations of water flow. Fire hand crews will construct waterbars at or below the slope break.
Firefighters and equipment are continuing to mop up along Hwy 140 and in the communities. Travelers are advised to please use caution when driving along these routes.
September 1, 2011 at 9:20 am
Crews have made great progress in mop-up and line rehabilitation. Crews continue to be released with the goal of reducing numbers for the transition to the type three organization at 6:00 a.m. on September 2, 2011. Fire activity remains minimal allowing crews to continue fire line rehabilitation. Fire line rehabilitation means to repair or improve fire damaged lands unlikely to recover on their own. The extent of repair will vary depending upon intended use after the fire. For example, the dozers will pull berms back onto the trail and return the line to original grade to prevent concentrations of water flow. Fire hand crews will construct waterbars at or below the slope break. After the fire is cold, slash and debris can be scattered along the length of the fire line.
Firefighters and equipment will remain along Hwy 140 and in the communities. Travelers are advised to please use caution when driving along these routes.
Stanislaus Forest Road 1S12 is closed from Yosemite Park Boundary to Five Corners.
September 1, 2011 at 6:55 AM
Crews have made great progress in mop-up and in line rehab. Demob continues with a goal of reducing numbers for the transition to the Type Three organization on September 2, 2011.
August 31, 2011 at 7:15 AM
Today crews will continue rehab and mop-up of the incident, back haul operations have started. Last night the fire activity was light. Firefighters and equipment will remain along Hwy 140 and in the communities, travelers are reminded to use caution when driving along Hwy 140
Stanislaus National Forest Road 1S12 remains closed until further notice.
August 30, 2011 at 7:54 PM
Fire activity was minimal today with a few smokes showing in the interior. The crews will continue with mop-up and rehab will continue on the fire line throughout the night.
Highway 140 was re-opened this morning at 6:00 a.m.; all evacuations were lifted. Firefighters and equipment will remain along Hwy 140 and in the communities. Travelers are advised to use caution when driving along Hwy 140.
August 30, 2011 at 3:01 PM
Today fire crews will continue to build containment lines on the east side of the fire and reinforce other containment lines built over the past few days. Five helicopters are assigned to the fire and will assist with extinguishing hot spots.
Highway 140 was reopened this morning at 6:00 a.m. to all traffic. Firefighters and equipment will remain along 140 and in the communities. Travelers are advised to please use caution when driving along these routes.
All lines should be completed today with mop-up and rehab operations beginning. All restrictions on the fire have been lifted. Heavy demob is expected.
August 30, 2011 at 7:38 AM
Infrared flight of the fire showed some areas of heat near the line in Division P. Otherwise, the fire has few interior points of heat.
All lines should be completed today with mop-up and rehab operations beginning. All restrictions on the fire have been lifted. Heavy demob is expected.
August 29, 2011 at 7:27 PM
Crews concentrated on line completion in Divisions R and M. Type one crews and helicopters made good progress in supporting th retardant line established in Division R during yesterdays air operations. Hose lays were brought up from the bottom of Division R in support of the hand line operations.
All evacuation orders will also be lifted at 21:00 hours 8/29/11. Hwy 140 will revert back to normal travel at 06:00 8/30/11. Crews were able to make good progress in Division R as a result of the air operations that occurred yesterday and line construction was able to advance faster than expected.
August 29, 2011 at 7:25 PM
Significant Progress made in Motor Fire, Hwy. 140 to reopen at 6:00 a.m Tuesday, Aug. 30
Due to significant progress that has been made in extinguishing the Motor Fire west of Yosemite National Park in the Merced River Canyon, the Evacuation Order for residents of Rancheria, Incline Road, Cedar Lodge, and the Trailer Court, has been lifted as of 9:00 P.M. this evening. This applies to residents only. Additionally, Highway 140, one of the main entrances into Yosemite National Park, will be open for all traffic beginning tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m (eastbound traffic, into the park, will commence at 6:00 a.m., and the westbound traffic, toward Mariposa, will commence at 6:45 a.m.). The road will be open to all vehicular traffic, without restrictions.
"We'd like to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to the Incident Management Team and all of the firefighters who have been working around the clock to extinguish the fire. To see the results of their efforts, especially in such steep and rocky terrain, is truly remarkable. The Team has shown tremendous leadership, skill, and fortitude in all of their work. In addition to the U.S. Forest Service, we'd also like to extend our appreciation to the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, Mariposa County Fire Dept., Cal Fire, Cal Trans, Mariposa County Board of Supervisors,California Highway Patrol, DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. PG&E, Yosemite Resorts, and several other agencies that have epitomized cooperation and teamwork", stated Kelly Martin, Chief, Fire & Aviation Management, Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite National Park has remained open during the Motor Fire, which began in the afternoon of August 25. Highways 41 and 120 have remained open and the park has continued to offer the full range of visitor services throughout the fire. Visitors to the park had not declined and visible smoke in Yosemite Valley has been, and continues to be negligible.
Fire crews have made excellent progress on the Motor Fire in the past two days utilizing air attack and ground crews. Although the fire is still active, the fire is no longer a threat to the communities. People utilizing Highway 140 are urged to drive with caution as helicopters will continue to be working in the area and debris may be on the roadway.
The Yosemite Area Regional Transit System (YARTS) will resume its normal schedule tomorrow morning. For exact times, please check www.yarts.com
August 29, 2011 at 1:57 PM
The Motor Fire started August 25, 2011 at approximately 12:30pm on Hwy 140, along the Merced River and near Cedar Lodge. This fire is located in very steep, rugged terrain making access difficult. The South Central Sierra Interagency Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire on August 26, 2011.
Update
Fire crews will continue to work on building containment lines around the fire today. Crews made good progress on the fire throughout the night. The fire was most active on the east side. There were a couple of hot spots on the west side of the fire, other areas showed little activity. There was no movement on the north side of the fire. Air support will continue to help support crews through the day as needed.
Evacuations
· Rancheria, Cedar Lodge, Incline, El Portal Trailer Village and campgrounds along Incline Road are under mandatory evacuations.
· Old El Portal has been advised to prepare for evacuations.
· A resource center is open at the Lutheran Church in Mariposa, California. The address is 4469 Highway 49 South Mariposa, California. The center hours are 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Closures
· Highway 140 is closed
· Stanislaus Forest Road 1S12 is closed from Yosemite Park Boundary to Five Corners.
August 29, 2011 at 10:04 AM
Crews made good progress on the fire throughout the night. The fire was most active on the east side. There were a couple of hot spots on the west side of the fire, other areas showed little activity. There was no movement on the north side of the fire. Air support continues to help support the crews as needed.
Mandatory evacuations: Rancheria, Cedar Lodge, Incline, El Portal Trailer Village and local Merced River Canyon Campgrounds.
Mandatory Road Closures: Highway 140, from the Foresta Bridge west is closed, Incline Road, and Forest Rd 1S12. There is no estimation as to when the will re-open.
Old El Portal is advised to prepare for evacuations, this is a pre-evacuation.
August 29, 2011 at 7:38 AM
Fire activity continues on the east flank of the fire. Isolated hot spots and areas of interior burnout were observed on the Divisions north of the Merced river. Fire south of the Merced showed little activity. Crews made good progress through the night.
August 28, 2011 at 7:26 PM
Active fire continues to move east into Moss Canyon. Low to moderate fire activity on the west flank of the fire; some roll out across the containment line produced an area of active fire on the norht west side of the fire. South of the Merced River showed little to moderate activity throughout the day.
Planned actions: Crews continue to construct line on the east side of the fire. The use of a DC-10 airtanker supported this operation, crews will reinforce retardant lines.
August 28, 2011 at 6:17 PM
Today at approximately 1300 a DC-10 aircraft was ordered to protect natural resources and structures in the Rancheria & Old El Portal communities. The DC-10 made multiple retardant drops on the Eastern edge of the fire. The use of this aircraft was very effective in reducing the intensity of the fire. Fire crews on the ground will continue to build line throughout the night to take advantage of the retardant and higher humidity.
The Modified DC-10 airtanker is able drop as much as 12,000 gallons of retardant in as little as eight seconds. The aircraft uses a computerized gravity-feed water dump system that is essentially a modified and scaled-up version of the system used by Erickson Air-Crane on its S64 helicopter. The drop rate, controlled from the cockpit, is governed by the opening of the tank doors.
August 28, 2011 at 1:41 PM
Families affected by the fire and in need of lodging can contact Robin, American Red Cross at (559) 905-3482.
August 28, 2011 at 11:55 AM
An area of high pressure that is centered over the desert southwest will continue to bring hot temperatures to the fire area today and Monday. Lingering moisture will bring a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms near the Sierra crest this afternoon, but the fire area will remain dry. The high will begin to weaken Monday as a trough of low pressure approaches the Pacific Northwest. This will bring cooler temperatures but dry conditions for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Objectives for the day:
*Provide for firefighter and public safety first and foremost.
*Protect structures along the Merced River Corridor.
*Keep public, cooperating agencies, and local community representatives informed of fire progress.
*Protect cultural and historic resources by using resource advisors.
*Minimize ground disturbance with 1/4 mile of Merced River and South Fork of Merced River.
*Keep fire:
North of the South Fork of the Merced River
West Hite Cove Road to the Merced River to Highway 140 to Crane Creek
South of Road 1 S12
East of Road 2S30 to Trumbull Peak to Ned Gulch to the Merced River
August 28, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Lines are completed on all divisions south of the Merced River with minimal fire activity.
August 28, 2011 at 9:49 AM
The south end of the fire, on the southern side of the Merced, now has a solid anchor line around it. Very little activity to report on that end. The pre-evacuation advisory for Yosemite West has been lifted.
August 28, 2011 at 7:42 AM
Good progress was made during the last operational period. Type one hand crews continue to play a significant roll in steep terrain line construction. Air support has also been instrumental in line construction support. Lines are completed on all divisions south of the Merced River with minimal fire activity. Local law enforcement recommend precautionary measures. Stay away from Hwy 140 heading to Yosemite National Park. Residence south of the Yosemite maintenance station are being evacuated. Rancheria Flats, a residential community on the Merced River Canyon is under mandatory evacuations. The fire is terrain driven in very steep canyon slopes, and has burned to the top of the ridges above the Merced River on both sides of the canyon. Fire activity continues in Moss Canyon, moving to the east. The fire has been active on the ridge southwest of Trumbull Peak. Divisions L and B south of the Merced River showed little activity throughout the night.
August 28, 2011 at 7:21 AM
New briefing map shows progress in building lines. Expect the containment figure to go up.
August 27, 2011 at 9:32 PM
Significant Events: Evacuation of Rancheria Flat.
Remarks: Type one hand crews continue to play a significant roll in suppressing fire in steep terrain. Heavy lift air support has been critical in slowing the fires spread in inaccessible terrain. Fires activity has been influenced by local wind conditions created by steepness of the Merced river canyon. Evacuation efforts progressing with the help of local law enforcement.
Observed Fire Behavior: Fire activity continues in Dry Gulch, the fire is moving east into the upper reaches of Moss Canyon. Air support is slowing the fire progress into lower reaches of Moss Canyon. The fire has been active on the ridge southwest of the Clearing House. There has been light to moderate activity on the fire south of the Merced River.
Planned Actions: Continued line construction and suppression efforts throughout the night
August 27, 2011 at 7:17 PM
Fire activity continues in Dry Gulch. The fire is moving east into the upper reaches of Moss Canyon. Air support is slowing the fire progress into lower reaches of Moss Canyon. The fire has been active on the ridge southwest of the Clearing House. There has been light to moderate activity on the fire south of the Merced River. Rancheria Flats, a residential community on the Merced River Canyon is under mandatory evacuations.
August 27, 2011 at 5:58 PM
Mariposa Sheriff's Office: Fire IC has requested EVACUATION of Rancheria Flat - Government Housing and El Portal Trailer Park at this time.
August 27, 2011 at 5:56 PM
Rapid growth of the fire is being reported. Additional aircraft requested dur to increased structure threat. Unconfirmed reports now put the fire at 4-5,000 acres.
August 27, 2011 at 5:16 PM
Structure threat at El Portal. Air tankers requested.
August 27, 2011 at 2:55 PM
Acreage update per the briefing map. Now at 3,636 acres.
August 27, 2011 at 2:35 PM
According to the PIOs, the fire made a significant run up Dry Gulch within the last hour. High temperature, low relative humidity plus winds make this extremely challenging. No update on the acreage yet.
August 27, 2011 at 9:15 AM
Fifteen homes in and around Cedar Lodge have been evacuated. Current focus is on structure protection near Rancheria and Cedar Lodge.
The fire is terrain driven in very steep canyon slopes, and has burned to the top of the ridges above the Merced River on both sides of the canyon. Growth Potential: Significant. The fire has made a significant run in Dry Gulch Canyon.
Red represents intense heat, yellow is scattered heat. Based on USFS data.
August 27, 2011 at 7:42 AM
No new information available yet, the fire is still at 3,000+ acres.
August 26, 2011 at 7:47 PM
Significant Events: Evacuations of Cedar Lodge and Rancheria.
Structures Threatened: 70 PRIM , 2 COMM , 35 OUTB
Wildfire Smoke Health Advisory
Smoke density has become great enough in certain locations to constitute a health threat. As a result, the Mariposa County Public Health Department and Air Pollution Control District (APCD) is issuing this Health Alert for people living in areas affected by smoke from the fires.
Everyone, but especially people with heart or lung disease (including asthma), older adults and children should limit time spent outdoors and limit prolonged or heavy exertion and exercise when smoke is present. Unnecessary sporting events which include significant exertion and increased breathing, such as soccer, running, baseball, etc. should be suspended until the air quality improves.
Wearing a mask is not sufficient protection.
Run your air conditioner, if you have one. Keep the fresh air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent bringing additional smoke inside. Note: if you don't have an air conditioner, staying inside with the windows closed may be dangerous in extremely hot weather. In these cases, seek alternative shelter.
Help keep particle levels inside lower. When smoke levels are high, try to avoid using anything that burns, such as wood fireplaces, and even candles. Don't vacuum. That stirs up particles already inside your home.
And don't smoke. That puts even more pollution in your lungs, and in the lungs of people around you.
If you have symptoms of lung or heart disease that may be related to excess smoke exposure, including repeated coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, nausea or unusual fatigue or lightheadedness, contact your health care provider.
August 26, 2011 at 6:21 PM
The fire has made a significant run in Dry Gulch Canyon. This is bringing us near a decision point/trigger for evacuations in Rancheria Flats, a residential community on the Merced River Canyon.
August 26, 2011 at 4:38 PM
Fire Behavior: Crowning with a rapid rate of spread
August 26, 2011 at 3:36 PM
15 homes in Cedar Lodge have been evacuated. Focus is on structure protection Rancheria and Cedar Lodge.
August 26, 2011 at 2:48 PM
South side acreage estimated at 600 acres
North side acreage estimated at 1,700 acres
August 26, 2011 at 1:07 PM
Mapping of the fire will occur later this afternoon if resources are available. Estimated acreage as of 1:07 pm: 2,000 to 3,000 acres.
August 26, 2011 at 11:05 AM
4 air tankers requested for the fire.
The fire is terrain driven in very steep canyon slopes, and has burned to the top of the ridges above the Merced River on both sides of the canyon.
August 26, 2011 at 8:19 AM
Local Law enforcement recommend precautionary measures. Stay away from Hwy 140 heading to Yosemite National Park. Residences south of the Yosemite maintenance station are being evacuated.
Evacuations and Road Closures: Cedar Lodge, Incline and local Merced River Canyon Campgrounds were voluntarily evacuated. Rancheria, Old El Portal, and Yosemite West have been advised to prepare for evacuations. Highway 140, from the Foresta Bridge west is closed. There is no estimation as to when Hwy. 140 will re-open.
Air tankers, Helicopter types 1&2,Dozers, Hotshot Crews, Type 1,3&6 engines. The Central Sierra Type two Incident Management Team will be on scene Aug. 26 to take command of the fire response efforts. Additional fire resources have been ordered.
Observed Fire Behavior: Rapid rates of spread on both north and south facing slopes.
August 25, 2011 at 6:49 PM
R5: There are no homes imminently at risk but more engines being brought in for structure protection.
Trumbull Peak fire lookout (historical building) is threatened. Air tankers are dropping retardant on the structure to save it.
August 25, 2011 at 6:40 PM
Per R5: Firefighters rolling in from several National Forests, from central CA & Sierra communities. Thx NPS & Cal Fire FFs
August 25, 2011 at 6:16 PM
The fire is spotting towards the Stanislaus at Grizzly Flat.
August 25, 2011 at 5:50 PM
Heavy air support for the incident. U.S. Forest Service & Cal Fire airtankers utilizing Fresno Air Attack Base.
August 25, 2011 at 5:42 PM
Moderate rate of spread in very steep terrain.
August 25, 2011 at 5:35 PM
Hwy 140 closed west of El Portal due to the Motor fire outside Yosemite. Hwys 120 and 41 open to Yosemite Valley.
August 25, 2011 at 5:03 PM
South Central Sierra Type II IMT (IC-Cooper) is being activated for this fire.
Local strike teams are providing structure protection.
Numerous resources on order, CHP is directing traffic on 140, expect delays.
SouthOps sending additional crews to the incident. Powerlines down on the south side of Hwy 140.
Yosemite National Park's El Portal Maintenance and Administrative Complex threatened. Helicopters are working structure protection.
The fire has reached Trumbull Peak.
At approximately 1300 hrs today a fire broke on the Bass Lake Ranger District in the Merced River Canyon. Initial reports indicate the fire is approximately 600 acres.
Residents south of the Yosemite maintenance station to the clearing house are being evacuated.
Hwy 140 is closed 4 miles north of Midpines up to the park, and being rerouted to Coulterville.
Many thanks to the Fire Information services for their updates.
