Wildfire southeast of Visalia keeps burning with steep, rocky terrain creating difficulties

The wildfire southeast of Visalia continued to spread Saturday, growing five times in size since the morning to cover 2,000 acres by the evening.

Dubbed the Castle Fire, the fire has been burning since Wednesday and is believed to have been caused by lightning in the Golden Trout Wilderness, located roughly 90 miles southeast of Visalia.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the steep and rough terrain of the area has made it difficult for firefighters to get access and in position to combat the fire. Wind and the fire’s behavior also has presented challenges.

On Saturday, the Castle Fire burned past the Little Kern River and advanced towards the Flatiron to the east and Trout Meadow towards the north.

Roughly 175 firefighters have been working to contain the blaze, which was at 200 acres Friday night then grew to 400 acres by Saturday morning.

The Giant Sequoia National Monument is located west of in the area that’s burning, and officials said no giant sequoia trees are currently threatened by the wildfire.

Firefighters spent part of Saturday assessing risks at the Forks of the Kern Trailhead, Jerkey Meadow Trailhead and facilities along Lloyd Meadow Road, the Forrest Service said.

An Incident Management Team has been ordered and is expected to arrive over the next few days, according to the Forest Service.

This story was originally published August 22, 2020 at 10:51 PM.