Smoke from Washburn Fire in Yosemite made way to Lake Tahoe/Carson Valley areas

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The 466-acre Washburn Fire near Yosemite has been pushing smoke to the north all day, with the Carson Valley now seeing heavy amounts of the smoke. There is also some smoke flowing into the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno said the smoke heading to Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley can now be seen on satellite

They said to expect smoke to settle in overnight, leaving a smokey smell on Saturday morning. The winds expected in the afternoon should blow it out of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

There may be some degradated air quality Friday night/Saturday morning. As of 8 p.m., the air quality was still good in Lake Tahoe, with some moderate ratings in the valley. A smoke map can been seen here https://fire.airnow.gov/.

The Washburn Fire was reported in the afternoon of July 7, near the Washburn Trail in the Mariposa Grove area of Yosemite National Park. A full initial attack response was dispatched including Yosemite National Park Fire resources and state and local cooperators. The Mariposa Grove was evacuated and remains temporarily closed. Additional resources have been ordered including engines, crews, dozers, and aircraft.

Effective on the afternoon of July 8, the community of Wawona and the Wawona Campground are under an evacuation order.