July 19 -- Nearly 2,200 firefighters from across the nation have poured into Gold Country to fight the Ferguson Fire just a few miles from Yosemite National Park, and the battle to contain the growing inferno has left one firefighter dead and two injured, officials said Wednesday.
One firefighter suffered a heat-related illness while the other broke an arm, said Richard Eagan, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman. Both of the injuries occurred Tuesday, and the injured firefighters were treated and released.
Another firefighter, bulldozer operator Braden Varney of Mariposa, died fighting the fire on Saturday, when his dozer flipped down a steep ravine near El Portal. Cal Fire crews removed his bodyMonday, and hundreds of people lined the highways as he was taken through his hometown in a small procession to the coroner’s office.
Some 2,149 firefighters in total — from as far away as Virginia — are battling the blaze, which has now burned 17,319 acres in the Merced River Canyon in Mariposa County. They’re equipped with 166 engines, 21 water tenders, 18 helicopters, 29 bulldozers and 44 hand-crews. Despite the surge in resources, the fire is just 5 percent contained.
The number of firefighters is expected to continue to grow as crews work to prevent the blaze from damaging 108 threatened buildings — and from burning into Yosemite National Park. The fire, officials estimated, is about 3 miles away.
The Ferguson Fire started Friday night and is burning toward the south and east. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered along Incline Road, in the Jerseydale/Mariposa Pines area, the Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground area, Savage’s Trading Post and Sweetwater Ridge.
The fire has made it harder for visitors to get to Yosemite during the busiest time of year.
Highway 140, one of three main routes into Yosemite, has been shut down, creating long lines atentrances on Highway 120 at Big Oak Flat and Highway 41 near Mariposa Grove.
The blaze has also sent clouds of smoke into Yosemite Valley, with weather conditions causing the layers to linger.
Fire crews coped with hot, dry weather Wednesday, creating difficult firefighting conditions, Eagan said. Possible thunderstorms could also produce gusty and unpredictable winds, officials said.
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