Castle Fire, Shotgun Fire continue to spread in Sequoia. Has Valley air gotten better?

Firefighters battling two blazes near Sequoia National Park in eastern Tulare County reported Wednesday that the blazes had consumed 15,400 acres.

The Castle Fire and the Shotgun Fire, burning near the mountain community of Ponderosa, are now being fought as one major blaze, designated the SQF Complex fire by California Interagency Incident Management Team.

Air quality for much of the central San Joaquin Valley improved slightly, from unhealthy for everyone to unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

Officials now estimate that the entire fire will not be fully contained until Sept. 12.

Efforts to control the fire were being hindered due to statewide efforts by firefighters to control more than 500 fires throughout California, mainly sparked by more than 12,000 lightning strikes.

This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 9:52 AM.