Fire burning near Yosemite fills Carson City air with smoke

A wildfire burning in Tuolumne County near Yosemite National Park is causing much of the smoke seen Thursday in Carson City and Carson Valley, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. The Rim Fire burning in the Stanislaus National Forest is 2 percent contained and has burned nearly 53,000 acres since August 17. Around 2,500 structures are threatened in the Pine Mountain Lake area. The smoke from the fire has pushed north filling much of the valley areas around Carson City and into the Lake Tahoe Basin, said Sierra Front spokesman Mark Struble. Highway 120 remains closed to all inbound and outbound Yosemite National Park traffic. Ferretti Road and Highway 120 to Pine Mountain Drive, Smith Station at Highway 120, Cherry Lake at Highway 120, and Evergreen Road.