Giant sequoia wildfire updates: KNP Complex and Windy Fire grow, but containment increases
Firefighters battling lightning-caused wildfires burning in California giant sequoia groves got a little more handle on containment Wednesday, although the size of those wildfires continues to grow.
Containment on the KNP Complex increased to 11% by Wednesday morning, compared to 8% the day before.
That wildfire in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks is estimated to have burned through 48,872 acres, fire officials announced, an increase of more than 500 acres from the previous day.
To the south, the Windy Fire surpassed 87,900 acres on Wednesday morning, an increase of 192 acres from the night before, officials said. There was a bigger jump in containment there, now 25% contained compared to just a few percentage points the day before.
The Windy Fire is burning in Sequoia National Forest, including the Giant Sequoia National Monument, the Tule River Indian Reservation, and other Tulare County and state responsibility areas.
KNP Complex update
There were no new evacuation warnings or orders for the KNP Complex over the past 24 hours, officials said Wednesday morning.
The team said firefighters along the eastern flank of the wildfire would continue to extinguish hot spots on Wednesday in the Giant Forest, home to many famous giant sequoias, and along established containment lines.
On the southern perimeter, crews continue work on Mineral King Road, where crews are monitoring the fire as it backs down slope toward the road. To the west, firefighters will continue to provide structure protection in the communities of Ash Mountain and Three Rivers, in addition to securing containment lines. Containment line construction also continues on the northern perimeter, moving to the east.
On Tuesday, firefighters worked on containment lines along the northern perimeter and in the Heartland area, officials said.
“As air quality permits, aviation resources will support firefighting efforts in coordination with personnel on the fire line,” officials said.
Smoky conditions on portions of the fire limited visibility Tuesday. Unmanned aircraft will be used Wednesday to assist firefighters on the ground. Fire officials reminded people not to fly recreational drones in the area. “If you fly, we can’t,” the KNP incident management team stressed.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are closed west of the Pacific Crest Trail and south of the ridgeline which lies north of Ionian Basin. In addition, the BLM Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area and major portions of Sequoia National Forest are also closed.
There are 1,802 personnel working to extinguish the KNP Complex, including 42 crews, 78 engines, 45 water tenders, 34 bulldozers and 12 helicopters.
Windy Fire update
Fire officials described the Windy Fire as continuing to exhibit “high resistance to control,” with full containment not expected until Oct. 14, but added that winds were expected to be “much weaker” Wednesday.
Tuesday afternoon winds “provided new growth opportunities towards the Kern River and south towards Panorama Heights,” fire officials reported. “Limited expansion continued into the well-aligned topography adjacent Baker Peak.
“Recent growth south of the Tule River Indian Reservation represents continued risk to cultural and infrastructure assets within the reservation. North of Tule Indian Reservation boundary, Camp Nelson remains threatened as fire continues to back along the 2017 Pier Fire scar towards the Middle Fork Tule River.”
Planned actions Wednesday include a number of structure defense operations and continued construction of containment lines. There are 2,393 personnel working to extinguish it.
Evacuation information and air quality information
Officials stressed that all evacuation warnings and orders that have been issued are still active, and that “areas currently under an evacuation warning are urged to be ready to mobilize and leave should the warning escalate to an evacuation order.”
An evacuation map for both the KNP Complex and Windy Fire is available at tularecounty.ca.gov/emergencies.
A Red Cross evacuation shelter is located at Porterville College, 100 E. College Ave., Porterville.
A temporary evacuation point, where people can find information and assistance, is at the Woodlake Community Center, 145 Magnolia St., Woodlake. There’s also one of these points at Porterville College.
Poor air quality persists in the region. The latest is available at wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/FresnoCA and AirNow.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 12:46 PM with the headline "Giant sequoia wildfire updates: KNP Complex and Windy Fire grow, but containment increases."
