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For two days, the official size of the Dome Fire, burning near the southern gate of Yosemite National Park, stood at just under 1,200 acres.
Some who were following the fire began to wonder about the frequency and urgency of information being released. As Jeff Aiello asked in a post on the Talk of the Hill Facebook group: “Why is the National Park Service and Yosemite sandbagging the acreage updates on the Dome Fire?”
It depends some on where you look.
While little new information has been released via the National Park Services social media or website, the Dome Fire’s official online reporting updated its size to 1,977 acres as of midday Friday.
It is likely larger. Satellite mapping on the website Watchduty.org seems to suggest it’s burning beyond the officially reported perimeter. Some of that could be the “numerous spot fires,” that are being reported “well out ahead to the north of the fire due to gusty, ridge winds from the south,” per an incident update posted Friday, but messages to the National Park Service to explain any discrepancies were not immediately returned.
According to the incident overview, the fire is seeing moderate activity to the north and northwest and has now reached the footprint of the Empire Fire, which burned 8,000 acres just south of the Bridalveil Campground in 2017. Crews are using this area, along with other natural barriers to control the fire.
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“Multiple hotshot crews have been flown into the fire, and they continue to create and improve direct hand lines along the western and eastern flanks from the heel of the fire,” according to the overview. The ground crews are supported by “continuous water drops by multiple helicopters.”
California Incident Management Team 3 has assumed command of the fire, which is now listed at 10% containment.
There are no evacuation orders or warnings in place, and no immediate threats to infrastructures or developed areas, according to the park service. The Chilnualna Falls trail (close to where the fire is believed to have started) remains closed, along with Chilnualna Falls towards Buena Vista and Crescent Lakes. These lakes are reachable from the east, the Park Service said.
This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 2:56 PM with the headline “Wildfire continues to burn in Yosemite. Are park officials downplaying its size?.”
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