RIM FIRE UPDATES, Friday, Sept. 6

Fire Update
Fire activity is expected to intensify Friday as unburned areas within control lines are consumed on the Rim Fire. Hotter and drier weather conditions will persist through Sunday increasing the chance of spotting of embers across containment lines. Firefighters are working to contain several small spotfires detected on the fire’s northern flank in the Clavey Meadow area. Crews using hand-tools are building fireline in extremely rugged terrain to secure the fire’s northern edge. Firefighters on the southeast flank are working to contain several small spotfires across Tioga Road. Major burnout operations along Tioga Road were completed Thursday. Today’s operations will focus on controlling the spotfires and strengthening control lines through mopping-up hotspots and hazardous tree
mitigation.

Park and Forest Closures
Yosemite National Park has closed Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds both located along Tioga Road. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge remain closed. The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108. Additional details are available from the Stanislaus Forest Supervisor's Office 209-532-3671; Mi-Wok Ranger Station (209) 586-3234; Summit Ranger Station 209-965-3434; and Groveland Ranger Station 209-962-7825.
Road Closures
Highway 120 remains closed from Buck Meadows to 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf. Highway 120 east/Tioga Road remains open from 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf to the Tioga Pass entrance. Cherry Lake Road is closed at Highway 120. Evergreen Road and Old Yosemite Road are also closed. Highway 120 from Ferretti Road to Buck Meadows remains open for local residents and businesses only.    This has been updated and the highway is now open.  See below.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Under Investigation
Date of Origin	Saturday August 17th, 2013 approx. 03:15 PM
Location	Groveland Range District, Stanislaus NF
Incident Commander	Wilkins/lawshe

Current Situation

Total Personnel	3,634
Size	246,350 acres
Percent Contained	80%
Estimated Containment Date	Friday September 20th, 2013 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Brush, Oaks, and Pine, conifer stands
Fire Behavior	The fire continued to back and make short runs late into the evening where fuels and topography presented opportunities, particularly in Division K, and Z. Creeping and smoldering continued through the night in all other divisions.
Significant Events	Resources continued to work towards containing numerous spot fires that occurred as a result of the fire making interior runs during the previous day shift and burn period in Division K near Clavey Meadow.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Resources will continue to work towards containing all newly detected spot fires in Division K. Resources will continue to patrol, mop-up, and monitor all contained areas and divisions of the fire. Patrol and mop-up will continue to occur along and within the communities that are interior and adjacent to the fire perimeter, including developed areas within Yosemite National Park. Continued burnout operations planned in Yosemite National Park along Tioga Road in Division P as favorable conditions allow.
Growth Potential	High
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme
Remarks	The Evergreen Lodge and associated employee housing, Mather, O-Shaughnessey, and Aspen Valley, continue to be evacuated due to lack of power and ongoing mitigations of hazards caused by the fire. The extremely dry fuels and potential for long-range spotting remain significant concerns for the fire to advance or spot behind control lines. Approximately 2,490 structures remain threatened in areas near the fire perimeter to the north, south, and southeast portions of the fire. Highway 120 from Ferretti Road to Buck Meadows is open to residents and businesses only; and, Highway 120 will remain closed at Buck Meadows and beyond. Cooperating agencies will evaluate opening Road 120 during dayshift today.The Cherry Creek Road also remains closed at the junction of Highway 120. Everygreen Road and Old Yosemite Road continue to be closed. Tioga Road west of Yosemite Creek Picnic Area remains closed. A forest closure order is in effect for locations within and proximate to the fire area. Increase in reported acres is due to more thorough mapping, fire backing into existing containment lines, and minor acreage increase associated with new spot fires.

Current Weather

Wind Conditions	12 mph SE
Temperature	55 degrees
Humidity	50%

Highway 120 Opening Today at 12pm

Incident: Rim Fire Wildfire
Released: 7 hrs. ago
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
STATE ROUTE 120 FROM GROVELAND TO YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK WILL REOPENRoad opens at Noon on Friday September 6

State Route 120 (SR-120) from Groveland CA into Yosemite National Park will reopen to all vehicular traffic at noon Friday September 6 2013.

Visitors will have full access to Yosemite Valley via SR-120. However due to continued fire activity in the area stopping along the roadway is strictly prohibited. The public is advised to use extreme caution as firefighting activities continue in this area.

Cherry Lake Road Evergreen Road Old Yosemite Road Harden Flat and all other secondary roads and trailheads off of SR-120 remain closed.

SR-120 (Tioga Road) remains closed from Crane Flat to White Wolf within Yosemite National Park. Park visitors can access the Tuolumne Meadows area from SR-395 via the parks east entrance at Tioga Pass.

For updated road conditions and information visit Caltrans’ website: www.dot.ca.gov/ or call Caltrans District 10 Public Affairs Office at (209) 948-7977.