By admin 
The National Park Service now knows what started the Dome Fire, entering a third week of burning in the backwoods near the southern entrance of Yosemite in Mariposa County.
Read more Prop. 37 seeks to create down payment assistance program for California homebuyers
According to the wildfire’s incident information page on inciweb.wildfire.gov, the fire started 7 a.m., Sept. 15. The cause: “Human – Abandoned Campfire.”
The park service earlier hinted at this cause when it asked the public for information about possible unregulated campfires seen around Chilnualna Falls from Sept. 9-15. Fire restrictions have been in place at elevations at or below 8,000 feet since Aug. 1.
Officials have made no mention of the cause in any of their other daily updates, and there is no word yet on whether it is known who may have set the fire.
Dome Fire continue burning north and northeast
So far, the Dome Fire has been mostly slow-moving its way to the north and northeast, toward Glacier Point Road, which was closed Sept. 23 and now serves as a contingency line on the fire’s northern edge. Some 250 firefighters are currently working overnight shifts along the fire’s edge, with supplies coming in (and trash and other debris going out) via helicopters and pack mules.
Read more California is losing organic cropland — even as demand rises. What’s going on?
Meanwhile, crews are helping the public with structural protection efforts in the communities of Wawona and Yosemite West, though there has yet to be any “imminent threats to infrastructure” and the Yosemite is “open and operating normally.”
It has closed an area from Wawona, north to the Badger Pass Ski Area and Glacier Point Road, and from Wawona Road east to Chinquapin. The closure has affected multiple trails and landmarks, including the Chilnualna and Bridalveil falls and some trails south of Glacier Point Road.
According to official updates from InciWeb, the Dome Fire now stands at 5,392 acres and is at 34% containment.
This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 3:48 PM with the headline “Dome Fire has burned in Yosemite National Park for two weeks. We now know the cause.”
Read more The Bee’s Top 25: Tight SFL race seems tighter after Folsom 2OT win over Rocklin