For Half Dome hikers, Yosemite blaze a ‘river of fire’

Gwen Semenoff and her family joked Sunday during their steep hike up Yosemite National Park’s iconic Half Dome that it would be great to get a ride back down, perhaps in a helicopter. Wish granted. Semenoff, 61, her son Victor Semenoff, 34, and his girlfriend, Ashley Sankey, 29, all from Vancouver, B.C., were among the 85 or so hikers rescued from the top of Half Dome that night when a wildfire spread into Little Yosemite Valley on either side of the Merced River, charring nearly 2,600 acres at last count. An additional 100 hikers were flown to safety from trails and campgrounds in the valley. Park officials are still investigating the cause of the fire in the high-elevation wilderness but think it is a spot fire from the lightning-caused Meadow fire, which started in mid-July. It is unclear how much of the fire is contained or how long full containment will take. But they say cooler temperatures and some rain Monday likely kept the Yosemite Valley from experiencing heavy smoke. Seven helicopters, two airplanes and more than 120 firefighters have helped suppress the Meadow fire, including crews from the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.