Yosemite wildfire: Officials no longer list campfire as the cause. What we know

Joshua Tehee, The Sacramento Bee on Oct 5, 2026

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Officials fighting the Dome fire in Yosemite National Park in California seemed to confirm last month what many already suspected: That the cause of the blaze (now burning for nearly three full weeks) was an abandoned campfire in an area just north of Wawona.

They’ve appeared to walk that back, some.

The fire’s official incident information page on inciweb.wildfire.gov had previously listed the cause as “Human - Abandoned Campfire,” before it was changed to “undetermined” last week.

It is now listed as “under investigation.”

The National Park Service isn’t saying why the change in status, only that “the cause of the Dome Fire remains under investigation by the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch,” and that it does not comment on open investigations. “A report will be released once the investigation is complete.”

It is unclear how long that might take.

The park service hinted that it was looking at an unregulated campfire as a possible cause when it put out a call for information from the public last month. It was looking for anyone in the area of Chilnualna Falls from Sept. 9-15, specifically if they “witnessed anyone with a campfire.”

Fire restrictions had been in place in the park since Aug. 1 for elevations at or below 8,000 feet, according to the park service.

Dome fire burning at more than 6,500 acres

Over the weekend, the fire grew to 6,760 acres with 40% containment.

It remained within its existing footprint on the southern and western fronts, where fire crews continue to “mop up” while improving containment lines.

The fire continues to move to the east, where helicopters are making water drops and repositioning firefighters to more active fire areas, including along the Ostrander Trail, which had been serving as a control line. Additional crews continue to arrive to assist with containment efforts, according to California Interagency Incident Management Team 4, which took operation of the Dome fire on Friday.

There are currently slightly more than 1,000 personnel at the fire. Two pilots were killed when their helicopter crashed during firefighting operations last month.

Yosemite remains mostly open to visitors

For the most part, Yosemite remains open and operational with no imminent threats to infrastructure.

The park’s superintendent did order the closure of a section of park from Wawona, north to Glacier Point Road, and from Wawona Road east to Chinquapin.

On Friday, that closure area was expanded east past Ostrander Lake to Buena Vista Creek.

Multiple trails and landmarks fall within the Dome fire closure, including the Chilnualna and Bridalveil falls and some trails south of Glacier Point Road, which was closed Sept. 23 because of reduced visibility from smoke and increased firefighting operations nearby. The park service said the road will reopened “when conditions allow” and that the closure would last through the Oct. 3–4 weekend, at least.

The most recent closure map can be viewed online.

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