Sequoia wildfire forces closures at Kings Canyon National Park, with more expected

Large portions of a second California national park have now been closed due to the KNP Complex Fire, with more closures expected to come.

The fire continues to burn uncontained inside Sequoia National Park and has grown to 23,743 acres in just over a week since it started. That national park remains closed, with evacuations ordered for nearby communities.

On Sunday, Kings Canyon National Park announced the closures of much of its land due to the fire. On the same day, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office also issued an evacuation warning for the Wilsonia area inside the park.

The full closures include: all lands within the boundaries of Sequoia National Park west of the Pacific Crest Trail; all lands in the park west of the Generals Highway and south of Highway 180 and all lands within the park wilderness west of the Pacific Crest Trail and south of the ridgeline, north of Ionian Basin.

All campgrounds in Kings Canyon National Park are closed, through Sept. 25 at least. This includes campgrounds in Cedar Grove and Grant Grove. The groves themselves remain open, though they could close with little notice and guests should prepare for hazardous air quality, smoke and low visibility.

All concession services including lodging, retail, and food service are also closed and access into wilderness from Kings Canyon trailheads is no longer permitted.

A map of closures in both parks is available online at go.nps.gov/SEKIClosures.

Little growth toward Three Rivers

While areas of Three Rivers are under evacuation (both mandatory and at the warning level), the fire had little progress toward the community over the weekend and crews continue to establish dozer lines and reinforce existing containment features, such as the Shepherd Saddle Road, which lies between Three Rivers and the current fire footprint.

Structure protection is underway in cabin communities along Mineral King Road and direct suppression efforts will occur as weather conditions permit.

Air quality is seriously affected in Three Rivers. Particulate matter readings have been in the hazardous range for much of Monday through the afternoon. The fire’s base camp has moved from Three Rivers to Woodlake to give fire personnel a break from from poor air quality.

Of the 1,700 acres of growth that occurred on Sunday, the majority was in the Crystal Cave area where the fire got into a bowl, a topographical features that allowed it to move rapidly uphill.

Fire crews continued with structure protection planning and mitigations on Monday for the Giant Forest and Lodgepole areas, where spot fires are being monitored.

Windy Fire

An equally large wildfire continues to burn to the south, 25 miles east of Porterville on the Tule River Indian Reservation and in the Giant Sequoia National Monument inside Sequoia National Forest.

The Windy Fire has burned 23,801 acres and is just 4 percent contained. It continues to threaten Johnsondale, the M-50/190 road, and Trail of 100 Giants and Cunningham sequoia groves. It is spreading east to the Kern River, Peppermint Camp and Upper and Lower Peppermint and to the north, impacting the Red Hill Grove, Threatening Ponderosa, Johnsondale and Fairview. In the southwest it is moving toward Redwood Corral.

This story was originally published September 20, 2021 at 9:45 AM.