As one fire near Yosemite grows, another is contained

The South Fork Fire near Wawona in Yosemite National Park continues to grow, authorities said Wednesday. But efforts to protect historic structures in the area have worked, and evacuations are being lifted.

At the same time, authorities have declared the Detwiler Fire near Mariposa 100 percent contained.

“They had really good luck and good work up there,” Cheryl Chipman, public information officer, said of the South Fork Fire. Firefighters lit back burns to hold the fire away from structures that include the Big Trees Lodge, formerly known as the Wawona Hotel.

Residents and employees were allowed to return to the Wawona area on Wednesday, and the area will be reopened to visitors on Thursday Chipman said. The area remains fairly smoky, she said, and those conditions are likely to continue for the next several days.

As of Wednesday morning, the fire — which broke out around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 13 — had consumed 4,012 acres. Containment was estimated at 22 percent, with full containment expected about Sept. 3. Nearly 600 firefighters are assigned to battle the blaze.

Recent thunderstorms have hampered firefighting conditions, with lightning sparking 10 fires since the end of August, authorities said. Among them is a 1,800 acre fire near the park’s Bridalveil falls. Firefighters are monitoring the Empire fire, a common practice in natural fires. Trails in the area are closed but no campgrounds are threatened.

Just outside of Yosemite, a fire that has been blazing for more than a month is contained, though not out, authorities said. The Detwiler Fire broke out July 16. It has consumed 81,826 acres, according to CalFire.

Sixty-three homes have been lost, but firefighters managed to keep the blaze away from most of the community of Mariposa. More than 80 firefighters remain at the scene to mop up the fire and patrol containment lines.

More information on the South Fork Fire is available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5502/. Information on the Detwiler Fire is avaialble at http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1672.

Authorities are still investigating the causes of both fires.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 2:33 PM with the headline "As one fire near Yosemite grows, another is contained."