Oak Fire
A satellite image shows the Oak Fire roughly in the center as a brown burned patch with an infrared glowing fire line on the northeast side and gray smoke pouring out to the north.
A NASA image using infrared data shows the Oak Fire burning on July 24, 2022—Yosemite Valley is in the upper right corner and the Washburn Fire to the middle right
LocationMariposa County, California, United States
Coordinates37°33′03″N 119°55′25″W / 37.5509366°N 119.9234728°W / 37.5509366; -119.9234728
Statistics[1]
Cost>$108.3 million
Date(s)July 22 – August 10, 2022 (2022-07-22 – 2022-08-10)
Burned area19,244 acres (7,788 ha)
CauseArson
Buildings destroyed193
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries≥3
Evacuated>6,000
Map
The footprint of the Oak Fire is shown in orange against the Sierra National Forest in green. Yosemite National Park is shown well east, in golden stripes.
The footprint of the Oak Fire, west of Yosemite National Park, with other recent wildfire history
Oak Fire (2022) is located in California
Oak Fire (2022)
Location of Oak Fire in California

The Oak Fire was a destructive wildfire that burned north of the community of Bootjack in Mariposa County, California and in the Sierra National Forest, during the 2022 California wildfire season.[2] The fire was reported on July 22, 2022, and burned 19,244 acres (7,788 ha) before being fully contained on August 10, 2022.[1] On June 16, 2023, a 71-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson for starting the fire.[3]

Background

The Oak Fire started amid a prolonged and intense drought. Sixty percent of California fell under extreme drought conditions,[4] which particularly affected the region of the Oak Fire—a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Hanford noted that the area's drought indices were the driest in all the Sierra Nevada. Scientific research suggested that the drought was exacerbated by climate change-caused temperature increases. When the fire began, hot and dry conditions prevailed over the region: according to the National Weather Service temperatures were in the low or mid-90s F° and relative humidity levels hovered around eight or nine percent.[5] Additionally, the prior years of drought had created a "tremendous" load of fuel, with dry vegetation and many dead trees.[6]

Progression

The Oak Fire ignited at about 2:10 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Friday, July 22, in the community of Midpines,[7] near the intersection of Highway 140 and Carstens Road.[5] State fire officials characterized the fire's behavior as "extreme".[8][9] A pyrocumulus cloud created by the fire reached 20,000 feet in height[10] and could be seen from as far away as Reno, Nevada.[11] The fire spread quickly, in part due to long-range ember spotting up to two miles (3.2 km) ahead of the main fire front.[9] The fire burned through the footprint of the 2013 Carstens Fire.[12]

The smoke plume from the Oak Fire, seen from a truck stop in Madera Acres on July 22

At around 9:00 p.m., the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office ordered more evacuations, including all of Jerseydale and homes on many nearby roads. About thirty minutes later, the fire jumped Triangle and Silva Roads. By 11:00 p.m. the fire had burned an estimated 4,350 acres (1,760 ha) and was zero percent contained, nine hours after igniting.[13]

On July 23, 2022, Governor of California Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Mariposa County as a result of the fire.[14][15]

By the morning of July 24, the third day of the fire, 2,093 personnel were battling the fire, according to Cal Fire. This included 17 helicopters, 225 fire engines, and 58 bulldozers to create firebreaks.[8]

The fire's progression to the east, towards Yosemite National park, was impeded by the burn scar of the 2018 Ferguson Fire.[10]

The fire was declared 100 percent contained on August 10. The total cost of Cal Fire's fire suppression effort reached more than $100 million.[16][17]

Effects

The Los Angeles Times called the Oak Fire the worst wildfire in the history of Mariposa County,[18] and the Merced County fire chief also named it as one of the most devastating.[16] The fire caused no fatalities, though at least three firefighters were injured.[18] The fire destroyed 193 structures, including 127 single-family residences and 66 outbuildings.[7] Another 10 structures were damaged, including six homes and four outbuildings.[19] Property damages totaled an additional $8.3 million on top of the >$100 million cost of the firefighting effort.[16]

The Oak Fire also affected the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, a federally unrecognized tribe indigenous to the region. The fire damaged cultural sites, such as roundhouses, and displaced members of the tribe.[20]

Closures and evacuations

The Oak Fire threatened multiple communities in rural Mariposa County, including Lushmeadows, Midpines, Jerseydale, and Bootjack. The number of people under evacuation orders on July 23, the day after the fire's ignition, reached more than 6,000.[5] An evacuation center was established at New Life Christian Fellowship church, but continued rapid fire spread forced officials to move it to Mariposa Elementary School,[5] where more than 100 people checked in and almost half of that group chose to spend the night on July 24.[21] Local hotels quickly filled with evacuees even as the normal crowd of weekend Yosemite tourists canceled their stays.[5] More than 3,100 homes and businesses serviced by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) lost power.[22] The fire forced the U.S. Forest Service to close parts of the Sierra National Forest to the public.[23] Yosemite National Park remained largely unaffected by the fire,[8] but part of Highway 140—one of the main access roads for the park—closed.[22] Some Mariposa County government offices closed to public walk-in.[8] Electricity was restored to all customers and all road closures and evacuation orders were lifted by August 4.[24]

Some residents of Mariposa County expressed concerns regarding the presence and participation of uniformed militia members during evacuation efforts,[25] prompting the Mariposa Sheriff's Office to clarify that they had not activated the militia.[26][27]

Environmental impacts

Through a screen of dead, burned trees a dark tower of smoke blocks out the setting sun.
The plume of smoke generated by the Oak Fire as seen from the Washburn Fire on July 22, 2022.

Smoke from the Oak Fire spread widely, causing authorities to issue air quality advisories even in distant areas, such as Barstow and the Victor Valley.[5] Prevailing winds pushed smoke northeast, prompting air quality warnings for multiple days in a row for western Nevada.[6] In parts of the Sierra Nevada such as the Lake Tahoe Basin, where the smoke was particularly thick, it caused poor visibility and the air quality indices reached unhealthy to hazardous levels.[28][29]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Oak Fire Incident Report". www.fire.ca.gov. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Oak Fire in Mariposa County explodes to 9,500 acres, has reached Sierra National Forest". ABC30 Fresno. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  3. ↑ Man accused of starting Oak fire that destroyed 127 homes near Yosemite is arrested, Los Angeles Times, June 16, 2023, Archive
  4. ↑ Fuller, Thomas (July 25, 2022). "California's Largest Wildfire Slows After Exploding Near Yosemite". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wigglesworth, Alex; Smith, Doug; Queally, James; Dillon, Liam (July 23, 2022). "Oak fire grows to 14,281 acres; Gov. Newsom declares state of emergency for Mariposa County". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Villegas, Paulina; Samenow, Jason (July 25, 2022). "Fire near Yosemite turns into California's largest of the season". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Miller, Thaddeus (June 16, 2023). "Man accused of starting Oak Fire that ravaged Mariposa County, destroying 127 homes". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Kuwada, Robert (July 25, 2022). "Oak Fire live updates: 'Extreme' wildfire surpasses 15,500 acres, crews race to halt spread". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Otis, Ginger Adams; Findell, Elizabeth (July 23, 2022). "Oak Fire Forces Evacuation of 6,000 Around Sierra National Forest". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Rodgers, Jakob (July 25, 2022). "'You feel helpless': Fatigue sets in among Oak Fire evacuees; some evacuations downgraded". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ "A midsummer fire in California expands to nearly 12,000 acres and threatens homes". NBC News. July 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  12. ↑ Rodgers, Jakob; Greschler, Gabriel; Kelly, George (July 24, 2022). "'Nothing was going to stop it': More evacuations ordered as Oak Fire rages west of Yosemite". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  13. ↑ Anteola, Bryant-Jon; Jansen, Shawn (July 23, 2022). "Oak Fire live update: Wildfire 'moving fast,' jumps road and now threatens structures". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  14. ↑ Cursino, Malu; Wertheimer, Tiffany (July 23, 2022). "Oak Fire: Emergency declared as wildfire rages near Yosemite National Park". BBC News. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Governor Newsom Proclaims State of Emergency in Mariposa County Due to Oak Fire". California Governor. July 23, 2022. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 Tehee, Joshua (June 20, 2023). "Arson charges filed after arrest in Oak Fire in Mariposa. 'A step toward justice'". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Oak Fire Incident Report". www.fire.ca.gov. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Winton, Richard (June 20, 2023). "Ex-firefighter suspected of igniting devastating fire near Yosemite, could face life term". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  19. ↑ Kohlruss, Carmen (August 14, 2022). "Grief remains as Oak Fire ends. Historic ranch among Mariposa area losses near Yosemite". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  20. ↑ Wigglesworth, Alex (May 7, 2023). "This tribe was barred from cultural burning for decades — then a fire hit their community". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  21. ↑ Fry, Hannah; Dillon, Liam; Queally, James (July 24, 2022). "Oak Fire near Yosemite rages, threatening mountain communities. 'It's pretty devastating'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  22. 1 2 "Fast-moving wildfire near Yosemite remains uncontained". NPR. Associated Press. July 24, 2022. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  23. ↑ Andone, Dakin; Wolfe, Elizabeth (July 25, 2022). "California's Oak Fire has expanded rapidly as it scorches more than 16,000 acres near Yosemite National Park". CNN. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  24. ↑ Jacobs, Trisha (August 4, 2022). "All Evacuations Lifted For The Oak Fire". Sierra News Online. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  25. ↑ "California militia helping Oak Fire evacuees creates furor in Mariposa". Mercury News. July 26, 2022. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Mariposa Sheriff's Office says it's aware of local 'militia' spotted amid Oak Fire". Merced Sun-Star. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  27. ↑ Briscoe, Tony; Hernandez, Salvador; Martinez, Christian; Lin, Summer (July 27, 2022). "Uniformed militia members offering help to Oak fire victims sparks furor near Yosemite". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022. Calling itself the Echo Company of the California State Militia's 2nd Regiment, the group had set up a field kitchen off Highway 140 recently and told the Merced Sun-Star it was offering food, water and a place to stay for those in need ... The group in Mariposa County had once been affiliated with a larger militia with a similar name, but the larger militia cut ties with Echo Company because of an incident in 2020, it said, when they inserted armed members between Black Lives Matter supporters and pro-police groups in a protest in Atwater. In a 2020 statement, the larger group wrote online that it disavowed Echo Company because of 'potential legal liability in light of the continued militant activities of other units,' and called the actions 'inciteful.'
  28. ↑ "Air quality unhealthy-to-hazardous in South Lake Tahoe". Tahoe Daily Tribune. July 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  29. ↑ Hildebrand, Kurt. "Update: Smoke back with unhealthy levels in Carson Valley". The Record-Courier. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
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