El Portal Fire Update for August 5, 2014 at 8 am

August 05, 2014 Posted by: Yosemite Fire Information

August 5, 2014, 8:00 A.M.

Fire Start: July 26, 2014, 5:00 P.M.
Location: Old El Portal and Foresta
Cause: Under investigation    
Size: 4,689 acres
Percent Contained: 100%
Total Number of Personnel: 220
Costs to Date: $10.6 million  
Containment date: 08/04/2014
Incident Commander:  Dave Martin/Stanislaus National Forest Type 3 Incident Management Team

A transfer of command took place today at 0600, on both the El Portal and Dark Hole Fires.  Both fires are now being managed by Type 3 organizations.  

Fire Summary: The fire is 100% contained. Crews will continue to mop up, secure, and rehabilitate the El Portal fire line.

Demobilization will continue will continue through out the week, which will make fire equipment and crews available for other fires.

Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) team is expected to arrive today to establish a plan for the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park. The BAER team’s primary function is to evaluate the burn area for short-term emergency rehabilitation needs.  Areas that were damaged in the suppression effort are being repaired to help reduce soil erosion and visual impacts. These efforts include building water-bars, chipping large concentrations of slash from dozer line construction, pulling berms, and obscuring turnouts that were created by large equipment. Excess equipment, supplies, flagging, and garbage are also being removed.

Smoke issues on the El Portal Fire:

Smoke will continue to be visible. Individuals that are smoke sensitive or have a tendency to respitory illnesses may be vulnerable to the adverse health effects of smoke.  Please avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity. You may consider leaving the area until smoke levels decline.  Please consult your healthcare provider to discuss protective measures.  For more information, visit one of the following websites:

For health effects of smoke: www.mariposacounty.org/index.aspx?NID=89

For Yosemite air quality: www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/aqmonitoring.htm        

For smoke updates: www.californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com

 Information Phones: Recorded information for the El Portal Fire is established; please call [phone].

For general fire information please go to: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov