Rim Fire 63,366 Acres
Groveland, CA — The Rim Fire has grown to 63,366 acres and is 1% contained. There are 1,849 firefighters battling the blaze. The total cost to fight the flames has jumped to $5.4 million.
Fire officials say the blaze continued to increase in size and burned actively through the day. It moved west towards the community of Pine Mountain Lake and to the east approaching Camp Mather. Direct suppression efforts are occurring in nearby communities and structural defense is in place. The Type One Incident Team will take over command of the Rim Fire Friday.
Highway 120 remains closed to all inbound and outbound Yosemite National Park traffic. Ferretti Road and Highway 120 to Pine Mountain Drive, Smith Station at Highway 120, Cherry Lake at Highway 120, and Evergreen Road.
As nightfall hit, the fire slowly started to lay down, as is typical in the evening hours. The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office decided to step up the evacuation order for Unit 12 of the Pine Mountain Lake. They are now under a mandatory evacuation order. That area includes Hillcroft Drive, Yorkshire Road, Lake Spur, Clements Road, Cliffton Way, Neil Court, Hemlock Street, Woodside Way, Owl Court, Iris Court, Jimmersail Lane and Beaver Court. The rest of Pine Mountain Lake remains under an advisory evacuation notice.
On a separate note: Both Summerville Elementary and High School Districts will be closed Friday due to the smoke.
A special thanks to our community news partners Kacie Powell, Alex Astapenko, Regina Kardash, Mark Canepa, Rick Cardash, Stephanie Cholez , Becky Peterson, Nathan Grinsell, Jim Oravec, Bret Beaudreau, Lew Richardson, Phil Rosenbaum, Joshua Wallace, DJ Riendeau, Jessica Weisenberger, Joy Britt, Juli McGrew, David R. Jigour, Lisa Blaylock, Aaron Watterson, Professional Video, David Wilkinson, David Wheat, Paul Epp, Linda King, Sylvia Fraga, Lance Seagraves for sending in photos of the Rim Fire. Photos can be sent to news@clarkebroadcasting.com.
