Wildfire smoke chokes Yosemite Valley: 'I can't even see Half Dome'

The air quality in Yosemite National Park reached unhealthy levels Monday morning, July 16, 2018, as smoke from the Ferguson Fire raging in a remote on the parks western edge choked the valley. The air quality in Yosemite National Park reached unhealthy levels Monday morning, July 16, 2018, as smoke from the Ferguson Fire raging in a remote on the parks western edge choked the valley. Photo: Yosemite Conservancy Webcam Photo: Yosemite Conservancy Webcam Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Wildfire smoke chokes Yosemite Valley: 'I can't even see Half Dome' 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

The air quality in Yosemite National Park reached unhealthy levels Monday as smoke from the Ferguson Fire raging in a remote area on the park's western edge choked the park.

With little wind, the a blanket of thick sooty air settled in the valley.

"It's pretty socked in right now," said Jeff Barlow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, while looking at live webcams showing Yosemite Valley. "I can't even see Half Dome. I can't see anything. It's really bad."

Barlow doesn't expect the smoky conditions to subside any time soon, as the fire that started Friday night doubled in size overnight, reaching 9,000 acres.

"It's isolated, rugged terrain," he says. "It's hard to get firefighters out there. The air drops are limited because of the low visibilities. They're having trouble getting fire retardant and water on the flames."

While hiking trails are open, the park warns that "visitors who are sensitive to smoke should plan to limit any strenuous outdoor activities or plan to visit the park another time."

Officials shut off electricity to many areas, including Yosemite Valley, as a safety precaution. Guests were ordered to leave Yosemite Cedar Lodge on Saturday as flames crept up slopes.

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Evacuations also were ordered in rural communities just outside the park, and people in nearby lodges and motels were urged to be ready to leave if flames approach. A stretch of State Route 140 between Midpines and El Portal into Yosemite was closed, and motorists were told to find alternate routes.

Temperatures spiking to 95 degrees and inaccessible terrain are making it difficult for crews to slow the flames, U.S. Forest Service fire Capt. Mike Seymour said.

Heavy fire equipment operator Braden Varney, 36, died early Saturday on the fire line, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. Varney was driving a bulldozer to create a gap in vegetation to keep the flames from extending into a nearby community, according to Cal Fire Fire Chief Nancy Koerperich.

Varney's body likely won't be retrieved until Monday at the earliest because it's in a "precarious location" and conditions were too dangerous over the weekend, Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean said.

The wildfire is one of several burning across the state and among 56 large blazes that are active in the U.S., most in the American West, a region that is struggling with drought and heat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.