Briceburg fire closes portion of Highway 140 near Yosemite National Park

A 2,000-acre fire burning about 10 miles west of Yosemite National Park has caused the closure of Highway 140 between El Portal and Midpines, according to the park.

Yosemite remains open despite the Briceburg fire, and visitors arriving through Mariposa are encouraged to take Highway 49 from Mariposa to Oakhurst, and then Highway 41 to Yosemite.

Highway 140 is open between El Portal and Yosemite, and all roads within the park are open, the park said Monday on Facebook.

Yosemite Valley, the most visited area of the park, was closed for almost three weeks last year because of heavy smoke from the Ferguson fire, which burned almost 97,000 acres and killed two firefighters.

The Briceburg fire started Sunday in the Merced River canyon and is 10% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for homes on Highway 140 between Octagon Road and Colorado Road, all of Buffalo Gulch Road and the Briceburg Campground.

The Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort was also evacuated, causing 11 guests to leave luggage behind, owner Douglas Shaw said on the company’s Facebook page.

“We expect reopening Friday and will be contacting with guests as needed,� Shaw said in a statement. “We regret this inconvenience, but this happened so quickly.�