Firefighters scrambling to contain Yosemite-area fire, as 48 structures remain threatened

Firefighters working to contain the Agua Fire near Mariposa made gains overnight Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, but continue to face hot and dry conditions that complicate their efforts.

The wildfire, ignited Monday afternoon when a vehicle drove off the road and crashed near Highway 140 and Agua Fria Road, was estimated to be about 421 acres as of Wednesday morning, up about 80 acres from a day earlier. Firefighters now have established firm containment lines around 30% of the fire’s perimeter, compared to 20% on Tuesday morning.

Those lines are at the southwestern end of the fire, in the Agua Fria neighborhood, and at the eastern edge where fire had advanced to within about a mile of the town of Mariposa.

Within the contained area, “there is lot of heavy mop-up work going on,” said Jaime Williams, a spokesperson for Cal Fire’s Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit. “Crews are out on the lines and trying to get some good depth to secure those fire lines.”

Two homes and an outbuilding were destroyed Tuesday, and Williams said 48 additional structures are still considered threatened by the fire, which is burning in brushy, hilly oak woodlands west of Mariposa.

Highway 140, the route through Mariposa from the San Joaquin Valley to Yosemite National Park, was closed until Tuesday afternoon, when it was reopened to traffic at limited speeds.

Areas west of Mariposa that had been under mandatory evacuation orders were reopened to residents on Tuesday afternoon, but roads in those areas are open only to residents.

The high daytime temperatures that have plagued Valley residents for more than a week are also creating concerns for firefighters in the Sierra Nevada range. “The weather is going to remain hot and dry, with poor overnight recoveries,” Williams said Wednesday. “Humidities remain low, and that makes the fuels in the surrounding areas that much more receptive” to fire.

More than 320 people are working on the fire, and resources include 20 engines, three water tender trucks, a helicopter and two bulldozers. Cal Fire estimates that crews will achieve full containment on Thursday.