RIM FIRE IS 81% CONTAINED, Sept 14th 8:38 p.m.

September 14, 2013    08:38 pm     Tracey Petersen, MML News Reporter 

 

Tuolumne County, CA - The acreage remains the same, but the containment has gone up slightly. The Rim Fire is now 81% contained and still remains 255,858 acres or 400 square miles. The number of firefighters on the scene has dropped to 1,935 while the cost has shot up to $111.3 million. The number of structures threatened is down to 438.

Incident Command Spokesperson Linda Parker says, "The firefighters have been working and focusing their efforts in the southeast corner of the fire near Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park. Their work in patrolling and mopping up and monitoring the containment line there has raised the confidence level there that we can now consider that area to be contained."

Also at noon today (Saturday, 14 Sept),  Highway 120/Tioga Road reopened to traffic. The roadway had been shutdown from Crane Flat Road to White Wolf Road within the Park. Motorists can drive to the Yosemite Valley from Highway 395 via Highway 120. However, Park Officials say due to fire activity in the area stopping along the roadway is strictly prohibited. They warn the public to use extreme caution as firefighting activities continue in the area and visibility may be reduced due to smoke.

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From InciWeb.org:

Current Weather

Wind Conditions	15 mph SE
Temperature	60 degrees
Humidity	50%

All other bits of information on this morning's InciWeb.org website were posted last night.  I like to check the humidity because the higher it is, the better conditions for the fire fighters.

Have a great day.  Enjoy the last full week of summer!