Rim Wildfire in Yosemite

September 04, 2013

RIMFire4

Photographer: Rogelio Bernal Andreo
Summary Authors: Rogelio Bernal Andreo; Jim Foster

The photo above shows a close-up (from about 2 mi or 3.2 km distant) of a small section of the Rim wildfire, near Yosemite, California. It was captured from near the Tioga Pass Road the night of August 28, 2013. Authorities closed this area to the public about 10 hours after I took this shot. As of September 3, approximately 75 percent of the fire was contained, but 369 sq mi (956 sq km) of primarily underbrush, oaks and pines had already burned. It’s thus the biggest fire in the U.S. in 2013. The Rim fire began on August 17 -- its origin is still under investigation. For more see today's Earth Observatory. [Revised December 2017]

Photo Details: Canon 5D Mark II camera; 15 second exposure; F/2.8; ISO 2000; Sigma 20mm lens.