O'NEALS - Just a day after announcing the beginning of fire season for the Mountain Area, 20 acres of vegetation was charred in four separate fires Tuesday afternoon.
    California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crews fought a fire on O'Neals Road [211], three miles south of Spring Valley School, from about 12:10 to 4 p.m.
    Ten acres of dry brush and grass were scorched. The cause of the fire was due to illegal burning, says the CDF.
    At about the same time, firefighters, with the help of one helicopter, were able to confine flames to two acres at Highway 41 and Picayune Road [417] in Coarsegold. This fire was caused by a previous lightning strike.
    Fire Captain Ken Harrington, of the Yosemite Lakes Park Volunteer Fire Station, explains that lightning can smolder inside a tree for a day or two during cooler temperatures.
    Once the weather warms up, the tree then ignites and the fire spreads.
    In Mariposa County, at about 1 p.m., a fire began at Fish Lake near Highway 41 and Hogan Mountain Road. Again, two acres were burned and the fire was contained at approximately 3 p.m.
    Earlier in the day, crews, including two helicopters, battled a vegetation fire in the Kerckhoff Dam area off Power House Road.
    The fire was reported at 10:02 a.m. and was contained about 4:45 p.m. The six-acre loss was caused by a bird flying into a power line, CDF reports.
    The following morning, at about 11:30, there was a report of a fire at Church Street along Willow Creek in North Fork. This turned out to be a false alarm.
    There was no structural damage or reported injuries.
     from any of these fires.

    BASS LAKE - A scheduled fireworks show for Friday [May 28] has been postponed to protect an eight-week-old bald eagle nestling.
    In recent years, the fireworks have been presented by The Pines Resort as a way to celebrate the official start of the summer season.
    The plan was that this year's show would immediately follow the first concert of the "Jazz on the Lake series, held poolside at Ducey's.
    However, plans changed when Steve Welch, executive vice president of The Pines Resort, heard of the possible danger to the baby eagle from a Bass Lake resident.

    YOSEMITE - The Tioga Pass Road, that portion of Highway 120 where it crosses the Sierra Nevada through Yosemite National Park, is scheduled to open at noon Friday [May 28].
    The road opening was assisted by Mono County Road Department, which provided equipment and some of its personnel to remove snow.
    Opening of Tioga Pass allows visitors from Southern California to take Highway 395 through the Owens Valley and then head west into Yosemite - and then exit along Highway 41 through Fish Camp, Oakhurst and Coarsegold.
    Visitor services will not be available right away, the National Park Service said. No drinking water, gasoline or food service will be available until water and wastewater systems can be put into service.