Wildfires continue to grow inside Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Wildfires continued to burn inside Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks for the third straight day.
The National Park Service said two wildfires grew significantly overnight into Saturday and no containment had been established since they ignited Thursday during a lightning storm.
The Colony Fire had spread from four to 72 acres overnight and the Paradise Fire was at 32 acres.
A third wildfire, the Cabin Fire, burned about two acres and was largely contained, the NPS added.
The area burning is about 54 miles northeast of Visalia.
The NPS said that despite deploying numerous aircraft resources with water and retardant to slow the spread the past two days, the Colony and Paradise fires have grown because of the much steeper and dangerous terrain in the locations of those fires.
Among the aircraft used to combat the fires are: six air tankers, two Type 1 helicopters, two Type 2 helicopters and one Type 3 helicopter. In addition, two more helicopters were ordered to assist with suppression.
The NPS said that due to high fuels, low moisture levels and limited resources, a large spread of the wildfire is possible.
Road closures
The Generals Highway closed at 1 p.m. Saturday to uphill traffic from the Sequoia Entrance Station to the Giant Forest Museum. This portion of the Generals Highway also will be closed to all visitors beginning Sunday at 6 a.m.
Potwisha Campground will close Saturday evening given its proximity to the Paradise and Colony fires.
On Friday, Crystal Cave and Crystal Cave Road were closed due to proximity to the Colony Fire.
Buckeye Flat Campground closed Friday due to proximity to the Paradise Fire.
The areas will remain closed until the fire threat is diminished. More closures may be necessary in the coming days, the NPS said.
The Kings Canyon entrance from Highway 180, meanwhile, has remained open.
The Generals Highway also is open between the Kings Canyon entrance and the Giant Forest Museum in Sequoia National Park until further notice.
Reservation holders for Crystal Cave, Buckeye Flat Campground, and Potwisha Campground will receive notifications and refunds directly from recreation.gov, according to the NPS.
Visitors to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the coming days can expect to encounter smoke, poor air quality and firefighters, and they may see active fire from certain vista points.
For updates on the incident, visit the InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7838/.
This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 4:44 PM.