Yosemite National Park will close large sections of the park due to smoke from the Ferguson Fire, park officials said Tuesday.
Yosemite Valley and Wawona will close at noon Wednesday, and visitors and campers staying in those areas are being asked to leave by noon. The closures include all hotels, campgrounds, and visitor services in Yosemite Valley and Wawona.
With the ongoing closure of Highway 140, park visitors can exit the park via Highways 120 and 41.
The closure is expected to last until Sunday, park officials said.
Since the fire began on July 13, several other park facilities and roads have been closed due to fire impacts and the need to support firefighting operations. The closures include the Glacier Point Road, Bridalveil Creek Campground, the Wawona Campground, the Merced Grove of Giant Sequoias and others.
Highways 120 West and East, and the Tuolumne Meadows area remain open (as of this writing).
The announcement was made at a public meeting Tuesday.
The park will continue to work with the Incident Management Team and assess conditions day by day.
