A lightning-sparked fire burning Wednesday in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park was being monitored by firefighters but not considered a threat to visitors or structures.
The Empire Fire was reported on the night of July 31. Park staff said the fire was being managed for multiple objectives, for both protection and resources.
It was burning approximately 1 mile south of the Bridalveil Campground and between Alder Creek and Bridalveil Creek on a north-northeast aspect with an overstory of red fir, burning in forest ground litter, needle duff, and dead and down red fir.
The fire was "creeping and smoldering in needle duff, burning in heavy dead and down timber, and backing and flanking on the NW and NE sections of the fire," a park release said.
The wilderness area the Empire Fire was in was a fire-adapted forest ecosystem. By allowing fires to burn naturally, it can lead to a healthier, more diverse and natural forest, the release added.
"Most importantly, managing fires under the right conditions can reduce fuels and thereafter reduce the intensity of future fires," it said.
The fire posed no threats to the area, Bridalveil Campground, or the hiking trails at this time, the release saiod. Both the Alder Creek Trail and Bridalveil Trail were being assessed by fire crews. The fire was visible from the high country and from viewpoints in the immediate area off Glacier Point Road.
Smoke would be visible in the area, and might impact the Bridalveil Campground.
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