Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks fight 3 lightning-ignited fires and there may be more

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks continued on Friday night to fight three wildfires ignited a day earlier by lighting strikes.

The Colony Fire, the Paradise Fire and the Cabin Fire started Thursday evening, the National Park Service said, as red flag conditions including the threat of dry lightning were forecast for that afternoon through Friday night for much of the northern half of the state.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, the Colony Fire was reported to have burned four acres, the Paradise a quarter of an acre and the Cabin another two acres.

Flames are burning in steep, densely forested terrain and fire management officials said the blazes have the potential to spread in the coming days or weeks as extremely dry conditions persist.

And one other major worry: There could be even more fires not yet detected.

“As we tackle these new fires, we’re continuing to search for additional fires that may have been ignited by the lightning event,” Chief Ranger Ned Kelleher said in an early Friday evening news release. “As the moisture that accompanied the storm evaporates in the coming days, we can anticipate discovering additional starts throughout the parks.”

Crystal Cave and Crystal Cave Road were closed Friday because of their proximity to the Colony Fire.

Buckeye Flat Campground later was closed due to its proximity to the Paradise Fire.

People with reservations for Crystal Cave and Buckeye Flat will receive notice of refunds from the recreation.gov website.

Park officials warned visitors already there or arriving in the coming days to expect to encounter smoke as well as firefighters, their trucks and other equipment. Active fire may be visible from certain vista points.

As conditions change, additional road or area closures may be instituted.