county Mariposa: Latest News

WAWONA, Calif. - A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday had grown to nearly 19 square miles (48 square kilometers), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.ALSO: Bay Area firefighters help battle wildfire near YosemiteGov.

make their way to Horsetail Fall on the eastern side of El Capitan, hoping to catch a glimpse of something spectacular.At the end of February, the setting sun hits Horsetail Fall at an angle that illuminates the top of the waterfall, making the flowing water look molten.General views of the Yosemite Firefall natural phenomenon at Horsetail Fall ending in a pinkish hue on February 24, 2021 in Yosemite, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) Horsetail Fall isn't as popular as the more well-known Yosemite Falls or Bridalveil Fall, but it's still quite impressive.

died of heat exhaustion during a gruelling summer hike in Northern California last summer tried to send desperate calls and texts for help, but their attempts at communication failed because of poor cellphone service.Jonathan Gerrish, his wife Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter, Aurelia “Miju” Chung-Gerrish, and their dog, Oski, were found dead Aug. 17 on a hiking trail near the Merced River, after temperatures spiked at 43 C.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A family that died of heat exhaustion during a grueling summer hike in Northern California sent a last, desperate text pleading for help, authorities said Thursday.The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office released information pulled from the cellphone of Jonathan Gerrish after months of work with an FBI forensics team.One text made shortly before noon on Aug. 15 to a person whose name wasn’t released asked: "Can you help us" and added: "No water or ver (over) heating with baby," the San Francisco Chronicle reported.But the area had bad cellphone service and the text never went through.

MARIPOSA, Calif. -  A Northern California family found dead in a remote hiking area died of hyperthermia and probable dehydration, the Mariposa County sheriff announced Thursday.The mysterious deaths of John Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog baffled authorities for two months."Hyperthermia is abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of heat regulating mechanisms. So in general, the more severe hyperthermia is heat," Sheriff Jeremy Briese explained.

MARIPOSA, Calif. - Investigators are ruling out what may have killed a family who was found dead in the Sierra National Forest but have still not determined what caused their death. The bodies of Ellen Chung, John Gerrish and their 1-year-old daughter, as well as their family dog, were all found last week in the Devil's Gulch area of the Merced River, south of Yosemite.The Mariposa County Sheriff's office has now ruled out exposure to chemicals from a mine along the trail, as well as the use of a gun or other weapon, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.They have not yet ruled out toxic algae from a nearby river.Authorities are still waiting for toxicology reports and cell phone data, though the remote area where the bodies were found had

found dead on a remote hiking trail in the state’s Sierra National Forest on Tuesday in a case that authorities are treating as a hazardous materials situation.John Gerrish, his wife Ellen Chung and their one-year-old girl, Miju, were initially reported missing by a friend on Monday evening, according to the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office.Search and rescue teams found their vehicle at the gate of the Hite Cove trail in the national forest on Tuesday, then came upon their bodies a short time later.

SAN FRANCISCO -  A Northern California family of three that had been reported missing was found dead Tuesday along with the family’s dog on a hiking trail in a remote area of the Sierra National Forest, authorities said.Search teams initially located the family’s vehicle near a gate to the Sierra National Forest and then found the bodies of all three — identified as John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Muji — and their dog near an area known as Devil’s Gulch in the Southfork of the Merced River, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office said.

Paul L. Vasquez, the burly mountain man whose awestruck reaction upon seeing a double rainbow propelled him to internet stardom and turned him into a folk hero, has died in Central California. He was 57.

Paul L. Vasquez, who shot to fame after a video of his emotional and awestruck reaction to seeing a double rainbow went viral in 2010, has died at age 57.