Sequoia National Forest fire grows to 34,000-plus acres, with evacuations still active

Fire crews continued Sunday to battle the recently renamed SQF Complex wildfire, with flames having burned more than 34,000 acres in Sequoia National Forest.

What had been called the Castle and Shotgun fires, spreading near and beyond the southeastern Tulare County mountain community of Ponderosa, are now being fought as one major blaze with the new designation.

The fire was at 34,283 acres, with containment as of Sunday morning still at 0%. There were 485 personnel battling the blaze, with additional resources still on order.

“The fire is pushing to the west, the fire’s pushing to the east and the fire is even pushing to the south down the Kern River drainage,” Don Smith of California Incident Management Team 12 said in a video update.

Mandatory evacuations in Ponderosa, Cedar Slope, the Pyles Boys Camp and points in between led to road closures at Highway 190 and the County Transfer Station, M107 and Mountain Road 50, and Johnsondale Bridge and Sherman Pass.

“These points are closed to all traffic into the area,” the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office posted Friday on Facebook. “Deputies will be enforcing the road closures to everyone, including people who own property in the area.

“Please do not attempt to enter the area.”

Camp Nelson, Rodgers Camp, Coy Flat and Mountain Aire were under an evacuation advisory.

The evacuation order and advisory evacuation affected 242 structures, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group website.

A temporary evacuation point was set up by the Red Cross at the Porterville College Stadium.

Winds in the fire area were expected to gust to 25 mph, according to the Tulare County Fire Department, creating unstable conditions with relative humidity dropping into the upper single digits to mid-teens.

Among the priority areas:

• Ponderosa, Cedar Slope, Forks of the Kern Trailhead
• Jerky Mountain Trailhead
• Facilities and trails within Trout Meadow
• Structures and facilities along the Lloyd Meadow Road
• RM Pyles Boys Camp
• Grazing cattle west of north road
• Freeman Creek Grove and other Sequoia tree groves
• The President George H.W. Bush Tree
• Camp Whitsett, featuring numerous Native American archaeological values
• Peppermint Fire Station
• Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog and Little Kern Golden Trout Critical habitats
• Pacific Fisher habitats

This story was originally published August 30, 2020 at 5:01 PM.