As of August 4th, 2021, Yosemite has had 39 fires started by lightning and 11 human-caused fires for the 2021 calendar year. Fire management has taken on a mix of strategies to suppress, monitor, or maintain these fires throughout Yosemite's naturally fire-adapted ecosystem. On July 31st, lightning storms caused multiple fires, located primarily in the Mather District of Yosemite National Park, along Tioga Road from White Wolf to Aspen Valley, including the Hetch Hetchy area. These 10 fires were all grouped together under one incident name, the Mather Complex. All these fires are being monitored and have a low probability of spread with many natural barriers except for the Tiltill Fire which is being fully suppressed. Additional fires were in the Badger Pass, Glacier Point Road area and near Ostrander Lake.
The other 23 lightning fires not reported in this update have been suppressed, contained, or called natural outs. All fire management actions have adhered to Minimum Impact Suppression Techniques (MIST). This minimizes impacts in the wilderness while allowing the healthy ecological effects of natural fire. Firefighters are routinely monitoring fire behavior on the remaining fires and will continue to engage in management actions as warranted.
Yosemite National Park is a fire-adapted ecosystem. The overall strategy for managing all wildland fires is to provide for the safety of employees and the public and protect and enhance natural and cultural resources.
Mather Complex
Location: Between Aspen Valley and Hetch Hetchy, west of White Wolf.
Number of Fires: 10
Discovery Date: July 31,2021 Size: From .10 to ¼ acres.
Containment: Varies by Fire. Strategy: Confine and Contain/Suppression
Cause: Lightning
Tiltill
Location: North of Hetch Hetchy, Tiltill Valley.
Discovery Date: July 31. 2021 Size: 197 acres
Containment: 5% Strategy: Full Suppression
Cause: Lightning
Mono
Location: Near Ostrander Lake
Discovery Date: July 31. 2021 Size: .10 acres
Containment: 0% Strategy: Monitor
Cause: Lightning
County Line
Location: Near Yosemite Creek Campground Road. 8361 elevation.
Discovery Date: June 28th, 2021 Size: 224 acres
Containment: 100% Strategy: Confine and Contain
Cause: Lightning
Lukens
Location: West of Lukens Lake, North of Tioga Road. 8243 elevation.
Discovery Date: June 28, 2021 Size: 466 acres
Containment: 50% Strategy: Confine and Contain
Cause: Lightning
Stubblefield
Location: Northern end of Yosemite NP, 2000 feet from Pacific Crest Trail (mile marker 982), no threat to trail. 8000 elevation.
Discovery Date: June 28, 2021 Size: 2 acres
Containment: 0% Strategy: Monitor
Cause: Lightning
Wegner
Location: East of Yosemite Creek Picnic Area and east of Tioga Road. 8256 elevation.
Discovery Date: June 28, 2021 Size: .5 acres
Containment: 0% Strategy: Monitor
Cause: Lightning
Half Moon
Location: West of Ten Lakes near Half Moon Meadow. 8256 elevation.
Discovery Date: June 28, 2021 Size: 1.5 acres
Containment: 0% Strategy: Monitor
Additional fire updates are available on InciWeb.