Single Publication

Acres: 87,467 acres                          

Containment: 30%

Start Date: September 10, 2021                                           

Cause: Lightning

Jurisdiction: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks; Sequoia National Forest

Resources: 2,083 personnel including: 42 crews, 130 engines, 41 water tenders, 11 dozers and 17 helicopters

North Zone: Decreased visibility hampered suppression and aircraft response yesterday. Light snow fell at higher elevations and temperatures dropped to 15 degrees in some areas. In anticipation of falling temperatures, the instability of trees and weakened limbs, crews moved to lower, warmer elevations for the night. Full connection of containment line in the northeast section between Montecito Lodge and Stony Creek is expected to be complete in the coming days. No forward progression beyond the current fire footprint is expected, and crews will focus on mop-up and scouting activities. Fire managers expect that calmer winds and clearer conditions will allow for unmanned aircraft system patrols over areas which remain inaccessible to crews due to extreme overhead hazards from broken and burned tree limbs. Drone operations will give a clearer picture of the fire’s impact on larger sequoia groves. Night crews have been released to assist with daytime operations.

South Zone: Yesterday, most of the fire area received some amount of precipitation as either rain or snow. Early in the morning, before the wind began, aircraft was utilized to provide protection in anticipation of any additional spread. More blackline was added in the southern zone connecting the area east of the Sheep Ridge Wilderness south along the perimeter to where it tied back into black, south of Fry’s Point. The hotshot crew strategically inserted on the southwestern edge of the fire perimeter and the East Fork of the Kaweah River continue to complete direct line working to the east. This work will continue over the next few days. Backhaul operations continue on the western portion of the fire to remove hose lays, pumps, and other excessive equipment that is no longer needed to support suppression efforts. The difficult work through the duff in Atwell Grove continues with hand line construction north towards the natural features. This work will ensure both the trees are protected and they are able to extinguish any residual heat near the fire's perimeter.

Weather: Dryer weather is expected today, bringing warmer temperatures which will last through the end of the week.

Safety: Please continue to respect closures and reduce speeds when traveling in and around the fire area. Be advised that road conditions may have deteriorated overnight due to precipitation at higher elevations.

Evacuations: Evacuation ORDERS and WARNINGS are in place. For the most up-to-date information, visit: https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=4b2ac27b5c8943ed92c0e77aa94daca0. Learn to prepare for an evacuation by visiting https://www.readyforwildfire.org/.

Closures: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are closed west of the Pacific Crest Trail and south of the ridgeline which lies north of Ionian Basin. In addition, the BLM Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area and major portions of the Sequoia National Forest are also closed. View closures at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7838/

Smoke Impacts: Current air quality updates can be found at https://www.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/FresnoCA.

FIRE INFORMATION

North Zone

PUBLIC and MEDIA: (559) 494-4881 (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.)

South Zone

PUBLIC: (559) 492-9988 (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.); MEDIA: (559) 492-9967

EMAIL: 2021.KNP@firenet.gov

INCIWEB: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7838/

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/sequoiakingsnps/ and https://www.facebook.com/sequoiaNF/

TWITTER:

https://twitter.com/SequoiaKingsnps and https://twitter.com/sequoiaforest

INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/Sequoiakingsnps

YOUTUBE: