Single Publication

Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team 2

Dave Bales – Incident Commander

Acres: 85,952 acres                     

Containment: 11 %

Start Date: September 10, 2021                                          

Cause: Lightning

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

Resources: 1,951 personnel including: 38 crews, 123 engines, 37 water tenders, 21 dozers and 13 helicopters

California Incident Management Team 2, a type one team, has arrived and preparation has begun to separate the KNP Complex into two geographical zones in order to support suppression efforts across the fire area. This team will spend the day gathering information and take control of the KNP Complex North Zone at 6:00 p.m. tonight, Thursday,

October 7, 2021. Southwest Team 2 will remain in command of the KNP Complex South Zone as this transition occurs.

Yesterday: Firefighters continued with tactical firing operations to the north along Old Sawmill Road. On the northern perimeter, the fire crossed a portion of Generals Highway but was caught by crews securing handline around the fires edge. Structure protection continued around Wilsonia, Grant Grove Village and surrounding communities. Crews were able to stop forward progress and place hose lay on the 75-acre spot on the western edge near Advance. An increase in visibility provided opportunities for helicopters to support ground resources with bucket drops for both the 75-acre growth and hotspots located south of Mineral King Road.

Today: Work continues in Eshom Creek with crews connecting the contingency line to Generals Highway along the northwestern corner of the fire. Firefighters are patrolling Old Sawmill Road to ensure the fire stays within the containment line where tactical firing operations are occurring. Structure protection remains in place for Grant Grove Village, Wilsonia, and surrounding communities. Heavy equipment, such as dozers and masticators, are working in coordination with crews to improve contingency lines north of Generals Highway near Park Ridge. Resources are clearing vegetation around Bearskin, Tenmile, Landslide, Grant, and Big Stump sequoia groves to protect areas to the north. For the northeast portion of the fire, dozers are working in the Stony Creek area to clear heavy, dead and down vegetation to provide safe access for crews engaging directly on the fires edge with suppression efforts. Firefighters working on the south end of KNP Complex are improving handline and checking hose lays along the Mineral King Road, east of Oak Grove. Crews are working along the western perimeter near North Fork Drive to locate and cool any hotspots on the 75-acre spot to prevent future growth. Helicopters are available to support firefighters on the ground with bucket drops and reconnaissance flights as visibility allows for the safe operation of flight crews.

Safety: For the safety of the firefighters and public, please observe all closures in place for the Forest Service and National Park. Turn on headlights and slow down when traveling within surrounding communities.

Weather: Light winds, slight decrease in temperature and increase in relative humidities are expected to help moderate fire behavior and slow fire spread. Clouds will move into the area during the afternoon with precipitation possible over the fire late Thursday evening, early Friday morning. Snow is forecasted for the higher elevations as we move into Friday.

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:  Smoke will remain visible across the fire area as the fire consumes unburned pockets of vegetation. Current air quality updates can be found at https://www.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/FresnoCA.

Fire Information:

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

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