Yosemite National Park Closes Amid Suffocating Wildfire Smoke
Yosemite National Park has seen plenty of closures in 2020 due to Covid-19, but now it will close for an entirely different reason – wildfire smoke.
The park announced it would close to the public Thursday night and likely stay closed over the weekend due to unhealthy levels of smoke sitting in the park. Photos of the park draped in smoke have emerged online throughout the week and as of Thursday, the air pollutants in the park were so bad that they had exceeded the index on Airnow.gov.
Yosemite National Park closing today (September 17, 2020) due to smoke impacts and hazardous air quality. #CreekFire
— Yosemite National Park (@YosemiteNPS) September 17, 2020
https://t.co/25haLDUBmr
“Based on the air quality forecast, we anticipate this closure to be in effect at least through the weekend,” park officials said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate smoke, air quality, and fire activity throughout the region.”
There are currently multiple fires surrounding the beloved National Park. The massive Creek Fire to the south of the park sits just below 250,000 acres and is 18 percent contained. There is also a 5,000 acres wildfire, the Blue Jay Fire, which is burning inside the park.
We will continue to update this situation as more information is made available.