Awahanee, CA…With indirect containment lines around the fire nearing completion, firefighters looked for terrain and conditions favorable to more directly contain the Ferguson Fire. Officials reported a 764-acre growth in the fire for to a total of 46,675 acres as of 6 p.m. Containment is at 29 percent. Crews along the western perimeter worked on extinguishing isolated hot spots inside the fire line. To the north, firefighters explored whether new containment lines could be constructed closer to the fire’s perimeter by linking a network of roads with hand and dozer lines.

On the east side, firefighters completed firing operations from Henness Ridge to the Merced River. Aircraft also deployed incendiary devices to burn pockets of vegetation between the containment line and the fire’s perimeter. Further east, crews worked to link contingency containment lines between the burn scars from the 2017 Empire and South Fork Fires.

To the south, firefighters constructed containment lines more closely to the edge of the fire that had jumped an containment line a few days earlier. Crews also worked to prep the area between Round Tree Saddle and Chowchilla Mountain Road for future tactical firing operations.

Yosemite National Park closure: Yosemite National Park officials enacted closures Wednesday for the Yosemite Valley and Wawona areas, as well as the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. For information on Yosemite National Park, go to: nps.gov/yose or call 209-372-0200.