Three Rivers under mandatory evacuation due to the weeks-old Sequoia Complex Fire
A mandatory evacuation was called for Three Rivers on Monday due to increased activity from the the Sequoia Complex Fire.
The evacuation means there is an immediate threat to life safety and property. All residents must leave the area of Three Rivers south and east from 198, east to south of the Fork Campground, including South Fork Drive, Horn and Cahoon Mountain, and adjacent roads.
Those leaving should head north on South Fork Drive to west Old Three Rivers, then head west on 198, noting road closures at Highway 190 at Balch Park, Balch Park and Bear Creek, Balch Park and Yokohl, Mountain 50 and 107, Mountain 99 and Sherman Pass and Sherman Pass and Cherry.
A temporary evacuation point has been set up at the Exeter Memorial Building, 324 N. Kaweah in Exeter and will be staffed until 8 p.m. Anyone needed a hotel can call 800-Red-Cross and register as an evacuee.
The Woodlake Fair/Rodeo grounds will be used for large animals being evacuated. Smaller domestic animals can be housed at the Tulare County Animal Shelter, 14131 Ave. 256 in Visalia. Call shelter manager Cassandra Heffington at 559-679-6222 for details.
Earlier Monday, the county issued a voluntary evacuation warning for Springville and the greater the Three Rivers area.
Fire burns through several communities
Over the weekend, the Sequoia Complex Fire burned through several communities in the southern Sierra including Alpine Village and Sequoia Crest.
Fire crews were dispatched to both areas on Sunday, but due to the speed and intensity of the fire were unable to get into either area before the communities were overrun. Crews were able to get into Alpine Village by Sunday night, but conditions kept them from getting to Sequoia Crest.
Structure losses are expected in both areas — some in the community guess it at 95% for Alpine Village — but officials on Monday said conditions are still too dangerous and it may take several days before crews can access the full extent of the damage.
Officially, 62 structures have been lost in the SQF Complex Fire, which started last month and comprises both the Castle Fire and the Shotgun Fire. As of Monday morning, the fire had burned 90,845 acres and was 12% contained.
Alpine Village is a collection of vacation homes plus a few full-time residents at 6,500 feet between Sequoia Crest and Camp Nelson, along Highway 190 and Redwood Drive. Sequoia Crest is a community of some 100 homes 12 miles east of Springville. Both are in southeastern Tulare County.
Generals Highway closed
Sequoia National Park on Monday closed the Generals Highway from Highway 198 in Three Rivers to the Giant Forest Museum due to the fire, which has already caused evacuation warnings to be issued in Three Rivers — the southern gateway to the national park — and Springville on Highway 190 east of Porterville.
Officials say the fire is threatening some 1,900 homes in the communities of Camp Nelson, Springville and Ponderosa.
The fire also threatened a power plant, an above-ground power distribution center, commercial timber resources, the Mountain Home State Demonstration Forest and timber and grazing lands for the Tule Indian Reservation, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency, which on Monday authorized federal funds to assist the state of California in combating the fire.
Mandatory evacuations were in place for Ponderosa, Alpine Village, Sequoia Crest, Doyle Springs, Upper Tule River Corridor (Camp Nelson, Pierpoint, Coy Flat, Mountain Aire and points between), Cedar Slope and Highway 190 along the south from the intersection of Balch Park Road north to Blue Ridge Lookout east to Moses Mountain, and south to Highway 190 at Mahogany Flat.
Generals Highway is closed from Three Rivers through the Ash Mountain Entrance Station to the Giant Forest Museum and will remain closed for the duration of the fire.
Visitors can still access Sequoia National Park through the Big Stump Entrance Station, on Highway 180 from Fresno,
“Our number one priority is public and employee safety. It is crucial to take care of our staff and our gateway community of Three Rivers,” Acting Superintendent Lee Taylor said in a release. “With this partial park closure, it is our intention to reduce possible evacuation complexity of the Three Rivers community by reducing the amount of visitors in the area.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Three Rivers under mandatory evacuation due to the weeks-old Sequoia Complex Fire."