Fire in Yosemite gateway town burns beloved saloon to the ground

A cherished saloon in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Yosemite National National Park was destroyed in a massive fire Tuesday night. 

Read more Victor Bericoto’s single and Matt Wilkinson’s debut as an opener help Giants beat Guardians 1-0

Fire crews were called to Snowline Saloon, in the gateway community of Oakhurst near Bass Lake, just before midnight, Mike Howk, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, told SFGATE. When firefighters arrived, a large portion of the building was “significantly on fire,” he said. 

Crews on the scene were trying to extinguish the fire while simultaneously ensuring the blaze didn’t spread into the dry vegetation to create a larger wildland fire. It took approximately three hours to extinguish the fire, and firefighters were on the scene for about eight hours, Howk said. 

The historic saloon is an older building, which made it harder to extinguish, he added.

“There’s, you know, heavier woods, heavier materials in there, which creates an absorbent amount of heat. And so when it comes to that, it takes a large quantity of water to try and overcome that energy coming off that fire to get it cool enough,” Howk said. 

Video footage published on Facebook by Cal Fire shows flames roaring through the charred door frames that are still standing and a large black plume of smoke in the air. 

No one was in the building, and no civilians were injured; however, one firefighter needed medical treatment because of the high temperatures of the fire, according to Howk. 

The fire is under investigation, and authorities are trying to determine where it started in the building. 

Read more Jan. 6 attendee sells Redwood City cafe, says the money goes to Mamdani

The beloved saloon had changed ownership several times over the years, most recently closing in late 2025 and reopening under new ownership in June. The saloon, which was a restaurant and bar, was a popular spot for live music and line dancing.

The two-story building had a Western-themed interior at one point, with an old-country feel. Glowing Yelp reviews described the saloon as having a “friendly atmosphere” with delicious food and popular beers. 

Bonnie Bedford-White, a Fresno resident and Snowline regular, told SFGATE that when a friend texted her about the fire on Wednesday morning, she was devastated. 

“It just left such an empty spot in my heart … because [the saloon] held all those memories for me,” she said. 

Bedford-White said Snowline had a biker bar reputation until just before the pandemic, when community members began line dancing there. She has attended line dancing classes at the saloon for the past several years. 

“I think that that the whole atmosphere of the bar changed because we were in there dancing. There were probably 20 to 30 people on the dance floor at any given time, and it was a hoot,” she said. “It was really wholesome and and energizing.” 

This news story has been updated.