By Chuck Squatriglia
The San Francisco Chronicle (California)
Copyright 2006 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
All Rights Reserved
A wildfire burning within sight of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park has scorched more than 400 acres, prompting authorities to close four trails leading to the summit of the popular landmark and effectively placing it off-limits to visitors.
The Boundary fire, named because it is burning near Boundary Hill, started Monday afternoon and is 1 mile north of Ribbon Falls and one-half mile northwest of the summit of El Capitan, park spokeswoman Adrienne Freeman said. It is moving north-northeast through the Blue Jay Creek area, burning lodge pine and red fir trees.
A plume of smoke billowing to the northeast could be seen from the floor of Yosemite Valley and surrounding communities, but so far has not affected visibility within the majority of the park, which covers more than 747,956 acres.
Four trails remain closed because of the fire: the Old Big Oak Flat Road trail from Tamarack Flat campground east to Yosemite Creek Trail, the Yosemite Creek Trail south of the Yosemite Creek campground, the Old Big Oak Flat Road trailhead at Foresta, and the Lukens Lake Trail south of Tioga Road.
The closures eliminate all trail access to the summit of El Capitan until further notice.
Yosemite National Park firefighters have been joined by crews from the Sierra and Stanislaus national forests and the California Department of Forestry. At least 197 firefighters are battling the blaze in an area marked by exposed granite and other barriers that are making firefighting tricky, Freeman said.
Three helicopters and at least two air tankers also are fighting the fire, she said.
“We’re fighting this fire very aggressively,” she said.
Firefighters have contained about 6 percent of the fire and could not say when they might have it surrounded. The area, at an elevation of 7,000 feet, has not burned in many years and is thick with underbrush, so firefighters expect the blaze to grow, Freeman said.
The cause remains under investigation.