Meadow Fire 10% Contained

Yosemite, CA — The Meadow Fire is 10% contained and grown slightly from 4,434 to 4,532.

Yosemite National Park officials say wind has helped to fan the flames, which have spread rapidly since the fire broke out on Sunday afternoon in the wilderness between Little Yosemite Valley and Half Dome. That has prompted Park officials to push back its target date for opening trails including the cables on Half Dome.

Ranger Kari Cobb says, “Originally when the fire started, we thought that we could potentially have Half Dome opened back up on Friday. However, it looks like today we have pushed back that opening to Saturday. Of course, that date depends on what the fire does over the next several days.”

The resources have increased from 327 to 407 firefighters. The rugged terrain has made it hard for ground crews to get to the flames. There are eight helicopters on scene, which are being used to fly firefighters into the burn areas. The cost so far is nearly $941,000.

Park officials say the heaviest burning is around the north and southeast areas of the fire and worry with today’s higher temperatures that fires could occur outside of the fire perimeter. In addition, smoke will continue to be a factor in the Yosemite Valley.