Fire breaks out near Yosemite National Park, Highway 140 closed

Paul Rogers, The Mercury News on Sep 1, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A wildfire broke out Tuesday afternoon roughly 10 miles west of Yosemite National Park, prompting authorities to order evacuations and close Highway 140, one of the main routes into the park, only a few days before Labor Day weekend.

The fire, along Highway 140 and Colorado Road, was 200 acres by 4 p.m., according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, with 0% containment.

Yosemite National Park remained open. Both lanes of Highway 140 outside the park were closed in both directions between Cedar Lodge in El Portal and Midpines due to the fire.

By Thursday afternoon, Cal Fire had deployed helicopters and air tankers dropping retardant on the flames of the blaze, dubbed the Colorado fire, which, according to radio traffic, was spreading at a moderate rate in the steep hillsides near the Merced River. Much of the fire activity was near the bottom of a long grade on Highway 140, burning along the west side of the highway, where motorists heading from the town of Mariposa come downhill toward Briceburg as they head toward Yosemite.

There were 126 firefighters, 14 engines, 4 helicopters and 2 bulldozers on the fire.

In a social media post, Yosemite said its other entrances were open.

“Yosemite National Park is open and is not currently threatened by this fire,” the park’s message said. “South Entrance (Hwy 41), Big Oak Flat Entrance (Hwy 120 from the west), Tioga Pass Entrance (Highway 120 from the east) and Hetch Hetchy Entrances are all open.”

Tourism officials watched the fire nervously.

“We can see the smoke, for sure. We are concerned about the winds,” said Tony Roman, general manager of the Cedar Lodge, located about 8 miles to the east along Highway 140. “They are blowing in our direction. We are prepping to see if we’ll need to evacuate.”

Roman said the hotel remained open. Some employees were having to take a long detour along Highway 41 through the southern entrance of Yosemite to come and go, he said. Some guests had begun to call in with cancellations for the Labor Day Weekend, which typically is one of the busiest times of the year at Yosemite.

He recommended that visitors planning to come to Yosemite this weekend check news reports, Caltrans and Cal Fire web pages to keep track of efforts to control and put out the fire.

“We are hoping for the best,” he said. “We are carefully monitoring and watching what’s going on.”

Mariposa County officials issued an evacuation order for Rancheria Creek Road and the community of Briceburg. An evacuation warning was also issued for Colorado Road from Highway 140 to Rancheria Creek.

Weather conditions remained generally moderate Tuesday, with temperatures in the Mariposa area in the mid-70s with mild winds. Air quality maps showed that much of the smoke was blowing north on Tuesday afternoon and air quality remained healthy in Yosemite Valley.

At the Midpines Store, located just east of where Highway 140 was closed, employee Jonathan Agliano said the fire reminded him of 2022, when the Oak Fire began near Midpines and burned for 43 days.

That fire blackened 19,244 acres and destroyed 127 homes. Investigators later arrested a Mariposa Man, Edward Wackerman, 71, and charged him with arson. Earlier this year, Wackerman’s attorneys were successful in transferring his trial to Fresno County after he rejected a plea deal that could have resulted in a 10-year prison sentence.

Motorists heading to Yosemite were being turned around Tuesday, Agliano said, and stopping into the store to learn more.

“A lot of tourists and locals have been asking about where the fire is and what areas are being evacuated,” he said. “Fires like this are something that generally happen about once a year here, unfortunately. We are keeping a sharp eye on it. It can move fast. Being vigilant is important.”

It was unclear how Tuesday’s fire began. One local TV station, ABC News 30 in Fresno, cited CHP sources who said it was caused by a vehicle accident when a cement truck overturned on a curve along Highway 140, colliding with a small tour bus driving west and sparking the fire.

The Red Cross late Thursday opened an evacuation center at New Life Christian Church, at 5089 Cole Road in Mariposa.

_____