Stinging NPS Report Says Yosemite Officials Were Overconfident About Ability to Manage Big Meadow Fire

The Big Meadow Fire burns unchecked. Photo by Edie Howe-Byrne

A stinging report just released by the National Park Service about the Big Meadow Fire, which scorched over 7000, required the assistance of 171 personnel and equipment and closed 2 major roads into the park, says Yosemite officials were overconfident in their ability to control and manage the fire.

In response, it plans to review and clarify guidelines outlining the factors that crews should consider when rating the relative complexity of each controlled burn.

Yosemite Superintendent Dave Uberuaga has also ordered a revision of the park’s policies for tracking fuel danger.

Although the National Park Service has been forthcoming with answers many residents in and around the park still question the logic for a controlled burn in August, a month with traditionally the highest fire danger in California. Even the National Forest Service just outside the park warned visitors that fire conditions were “HIGH” on their signs and that extreme caution should be taken with campfires and stoves.

(MyMotherLode.com, LATimes.com)