Blaze threatens historic trees, ash fallout seen around Valley

The Rough fire burning in the Sierra Nevada east of Fresno expanded by nearly 9,000 acres Friday, growing to more than 119,000 acres in Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest and Kings Canyon National Park. Fire officials say the blaze moved closer to the historic giant sequoia trees in Grant Grove and the Wilsonia community.

Rough fire public information officer Paul Garnier said the blaze was within two miles of Grant Grove and Wilsonia. Firefighters Friday worked to cut trees, wet underbrush and even pre-emptively burn trees to form a containment line just north of Grant Grove.

Grant Grove is home to the General Grant Tree, an international tourist destination and the world’s second-largest tree. Firefighters have covered the area around the General Grant in flame retardant, and installed sprinklers around the 267-foot tree.

Grant Grove also features a visitors center, lodge and restaurant and market.

“A lot of our resources will be deployed in that area to protect the structures and national monuments,” Garnier said.

If the fire continues its current growth pattern – and Garnier predicts it will – it could hit Grant Grove as early as Saturday.

The blaze was within a quarter-mile of the Boole Tree in Sequoia National Forest as of noon Friday. The Boole is the sixth-largest tree in the world. No reports from Converse Basin, where it is located, were available Friday night to determine whether or not flames hit the tree. Extensive fire defense preparations around it were made in the past week.

Firefighters report that containment lines have only been established around 29 percent of the Rough fire’s perimeter.

More than 2,200 firefighters are battling the blaze, aided by 14 helicopters dropping water and 18 bulldozers working to cut lines around the fire, the U.S. Forest Service reported Friday morning. The fire was sparked by a lightning strike July 31. As of Thursday, the firefighting effort had cost an estimated $79 million, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.

The wildfire’s continued growth prompted a new round of mandatory evacuations of residents in the Dunlap area starting Friday morning, with people along Millwood Road and Todd Eymann Road ordered to use Dunlap Road to get out . A larger area between Miramonte and Dunlap was placed under an evacuation warning as officials worry about the fire’s potential spread as hot, dry weather lingers over the region.

Garnier said the blaze is about five or six miles from these communities.

The American Red Cross of the Central Valley opened an evacuation shelter at the Sanger Community Center, 730 Recreation Ave. The Central California Animal Disaster Team has also set up emergency pet shelters at the community center.

Spokeswoman Jessica Piffero said no one spent Thursday night at the shelter, nor was anyone there as of noon Friday. She said few people live permanently in the evacuated areas, and those who do have had time to plan and make arrangements should the evacuation mandate come.

The shelter will remain open for any residents seeking food, information or a place to stay, and will be for future evacuations, which Piffero said could come at any moment.

The Bear Mountain Branch of the Fresno County Public Library in Squaw Valley has been converted into a base for firefighters to rest and recuperate.

Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner Les Wright put out a call Friday morning seeking volunteers to provide shelter for horses and other livestock being evacuated from the endangered mountain areas. “At this time the Sheriff’s Posse is moving animals, but help may be needed to trailer animals to safety,” said Wright, who was coordinating efforts with the Red Cross and the county’s Office of Emergency Services.

By Friday afternoon, Wright sent out a statement saying the county had received an outpouring of support and no longer needed new volunteers.

Fire commanders said they expect the blaze to continue burning west down the Kings River and up the Mill Creek drainage, where the flames are being fed by dry underbrush and dead trees that have been killed by beetle infestations. Crews are being hampered in their efforts by steep, rugged terrain.

Dunlap School evacuated

Due to the heavy smoke and fire threat, Kings Canyon Unified School District closed Dunlap School on Thursday.

Deputy Superintendent John Campbell said around 430 students were bused Friday from Dunlap to either Al Conner Elementary in Orange Cove or Jefferson Elementary in Reedley. Extra classrooms will house the students and their teachers, who are also making the daily commute.

“Our staff is really pulling together to make it a normal school day for these kids,” Campbell said.

Campbell sent an email to all staff members involved to thank them for their professionalism and dedication. “Because of all of you, your flexibility and your can-do attitude, our kids are with their teachers and friends being educated and cared for in a safe environment,” the email said.

Right now, Campbell said, the district is able to accommodate the trek using its own buses. Should evacuations push farther westward, the district will have to use charter buses, which are already on hold in case of any emergencies, Campbell added.

Smoke hazards

Smoke from the Rough fire is fouling the Valley’s air, with a thick haze dimming the sun and prompting warnings for people to limit their outdoor activity.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an air alert, a notification that the region is primed for conditions that exceed health standards for ozone or smog. But smog isn’t the only concern. Soot and ash are also part of the problem, with tiny particles sifting out of the sky and settling on surfaces across the central San Joaquin Valley.

District spokeswoman Heather Heinks said the poor air can produce health issues “even in the most healthy person.” The particulate matter in the air can cause watery eyes, scratchy throats and troubled breathing.

Heinks said air quality is expected to improve throughout the weekend, but that is subject to weather and fire conditions. She recommended Valley residents check the district’s Real-Time Air Advisory Network at valleyair.org/raan for hourly updates.

Kaiser Permanente Fresno spokeswoman Kerri Leedy said the hospital’s emergency department received an increase in patients with respiratory issues on Friday. Parents also called the pediatric department throughout the day asking for breathing treatments for asthmatic children.

“Our medical offices in Clovis, Selma and Oakhurst also are being impacted with more patients complaining of difficulty breathing, coughs, runny noses and wheezing,” she said.

Scott Rowe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, said his office has received reports of ash falling as far west as Lemoore.

The smoke from the fire could linger into Saturday, Rowe said, as a large area of high pressure remains settled over the Great Basin “and puts a cap on things for smoke being able to blow out to the east.” Friday’s high temperature was predicted to be 104 degrees, “but with the sustained smoke we may have to modify that” as sunlight is blocked from reaching the ground.

Things could get better over the weekend. “We’re looking at an onshore flow of low pressure to come into the area that should provide some relief and push smoke over the crest onto the east side of the Sierra and into Nevada,” Rowe said. “We’re forecasting a cooling trend over the next few days.” The high temperature in Fresno is expected to be 102 degrees on Saturday, 98 by Sunday and 95 on Monday, “and it just gets better from there,” falling to 89 by Wednesday, Rowe said.

Weather, air quality affect outdoor activities

As a result of smoke and heat, the Fresno Unified School District canceled outdoor recess and physical education classes on Friday.

On Thursday, Clovis Unified announced that a Saturday football carnival for elementary grades was canceled, as were Friday cross-country events. All high school football games hosted within the district, as well as all outdoor activities for K-12 students on all district campuses, were also canceled.

The 2015 Ranch Rodeo in the Squaw Valley Rodeo Grounds on Saturday and Sunday has been canceled.

The Mountain Rodeo Association had originally planned to continue as scheduled, but an association official said the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office informed him that the event could not take place during the evacuation threat.

Several outdoor events in Fresno and Clovis are continuing this weekend as planned.

The Old Town Clovis Farmers Market planned to run at its usual times on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Carol Lester is the executive director of the Business Organization of Old Town, which coordinates the markets.

“We recommend that people looking to beat the heat or the bad air attend Saturday morning,” Lester said. “And we are telling people not to hang out long if they are sensitive to the air.”

Lester explained why the events were not canceled.

“These growers have committed to us for a year,” she said. “If we cancel, they are stuck with whatever they picked for us that morning. And we can’t have that.”

Tour de Fresno executive director Varoujan Der Simonian said the benefit bike ride will run on Saturday with several modifications: The century plus and Wildcat century routes no longer continue into the mountains, where smoke is heaviest. Riders on these routes are asked to make a U-turn at the intersection of Pittman Hill and Watts Valley Road (known to cyclists as corral stop). If riders choose to continue on the original routes on their own, they do so at their own risk – no support teams will be available.

Riders on the shorter metric century will not go east to Winton Park, but instead will loop off Belmont, Riverbend and to Academy and head to Sanger that way.

Der Simonian said any riders who pre-registered for the event but choose not to ride are still welcome to attend the post-ride lunch at 11:30 a.m. at the California Armenian Home.

The ride is a benefit to various Valley charities.

The Fresno-Clovis Walk to End Alzheimer’s will run from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Fresno State. More than 1,100 walkers have registered for the event, raising $271,308 in the process.

Registration will also be available on Saturday. The event is free, but participants are asked to fundraise for the cause. The walk covers a 1.2-mile course on the campus.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Blaze threatens historic trees, ash fallout seen around Valley."