Tag: KNP Complex

10:58 a.m. PDT Sept. 24, 2021

One of the highest priorities on the 36,850-acre KNP Complex of fires in Sequoia National Park other than protecting the giant sequoia trees is stopping the south edge of the fire before it gets to Mineral King Road, the location of many structures. On Thursday there were five hotshot crews and a dozer building fireline on the perimeter from Oriole Lake to the east to tie it in with rock. This is not far from the Oriole and Atwell Groves of sequoias. Aircraft supported this operation to reduce the fire’s intensity, enabling firefighters to work closer to the edge of the fire. They expect to complete this section of line on Friday.

To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the KNP Complex of fires, including the most recent, click HERE.

In recent days the fire spread closer to the National Park Service facilities in the Ash Mountain area, including the helibase and park headquarters. After weeks of planning and preparation, on Thursday firefighters conducted a tactical firing operation north of the Generals Highway to remove fuel and help protect the structures. They reported it went well. Weather permitting, on Friday firefighters will conduct a similar operation south of the highway not far from park headquarters. The smoke will again be very visible from Three Rivers. Tying all this in will be key to preventing further westward movement of the fire toward park HQ and the communities along the highway.

In a Thursday morning briefing Operations Section Chief Jon Wallace said he did not have enough hand crews and other resources to be able to work on all of the high priority areas at the same time, and is forced to shift them around based on fire activity.

Roads in shaded fuel breaks on National Forest land northwest of the fire were being re-opened Thursday by 17 dozers. This will allow firefighters access if the fire moves into the area. Other fuel treatments in the park, including a long history of prescribed fire, have been very effective in slowing the spread of the fire, Mr. Wallace said.

The General Sherman tree and all of the other giant sequoias are still standing in the Giant Forest. The fire moved into the grove a fairly short distance before firefighters were able to stop it in that area.

A drone is being used to help ignite burnout operations on the north side of the fire west of Little Baldy.

A mobile retardant base is now operational north of the fire at Meadows. Helicopters will be loaded there with fire retardant and gel to slow the spread of the fire in the sequoia groves, assisting firefighters on the ground.

Resources assigned to the fire include 49 hand crews, 58 fire engines, 28 dozers, 35 water tenders, 11 masticators, and 21 helicopters for a total of 1,620 personnel.

5:55 a.m. PDT Sept. 19, 2021

There was less growth of the KNP Complex of fires on Saturday than the day before, but it has spread 1.5 miles north of the Generals Highway northwest of the Lodgepole Visitor Center. Smoke cleared in the afternoon, allowing air tankers and helicopters to resume direct attack on the fire in steep terrain inaccessible to fire crews. This includes areas on the southwest perimeter of the fire nearest the Three Rivers community.

Despite the fire reaching the Four Guardsmen trees in the Giant Forest, the incident management team reported that fuel removal efforts by firefighters, combined with structure wrap applied by crews to the base of the iconic sequoia trees, successfully protected these national treasures.

The fire also crossed the Generals Highway again farther to the north in the area of the General Sherman tree.

The fire was mapped at 21,777 acres by a fixed wing aircraft at 11:50 p.m. Saturday.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect through 8 p.m. Sunday for gusty winds and low humidity. Northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph will be possible within the area identified by the NSS, along with relative humidity ranging from the upper single digits to the high teens. However localized forecasts for the fire area on Sunday predict much less wind — near calm becoming east-southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon with 34 percent relative humidity in the higher elevations of the fire.

To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the KNP Complex of fires, including the most recent, click HERE.

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11:25 a.m. PDT Sept. 18, 2021

The two fires that comprised the KNP Complex in Sequoia National Park in southern California, the Colony and Paradise Fires, merged Friday when the Paradise fire spread north into the Colony Fire. On Friday humidities as low as 10 percent and air that was more free of smoke set up conditions for extreme fire behavior with spotting and sustained crown fire runs. The fire was mapped Friday night at 11,365 acres, an increase of about 6,000.

The fire impacted the southwestern tip of the Giant Forest grove of sequoia trees, the location of the Four Guardsmen trees, when the Colony Fire made a big three-mile run to the northeast, starting spot fires up to one mile ahead. Those four huge trees and others have been receiving attention from firefighters in recent days who cleared around them, removed duff, and applied fire shelter wrap to the bases of the trees.

During that three-mile run, farther north the fire crossed the Generals Highway again, this time near Red Fir and Wuksachi Lodge, west of the Lodgepole Visitor Center. Firefighters, to the extent they are available, are working on structure protection in these areas.

CAL FIRE is still constructing the indirect dozer line outside of the park southwest of the fire near Paradise Ridge. When that is complete the dozers will work with masticators to open an old road to Shepards Saddle in the southwest corner of the park, a road popular with mountain bikers. The last step before and if the fire arrives at the old road will be to use fire engines or water tenders to apply fire retardant along the edge of what will become a fire line. Fire retardant is most frequently dropped from helicopters or fixed wing air tankers, but it can also be applied from the ground. This method was used extensively on the Dixie Fire six weeks ago and can be especially useful if smoke makes flying impossible.

A south wind has been causing the fire to spread primarily to the north, so there has been little movement to the south. Operations Section Chief Jon Wallace in a Saturday morning briefing did not mention constructing any direct or indirect fireline on the south side of the fire, but said their personnel are working with cooperators to protect structures at Mineral King.

A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Saturday evening through 8 p.m. Sunday for gusty winds and low humidity. Northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph will be possible, along with relative humidity ranging from the upper single digits to the high teens, and with poor overnight humidity recovery. This wind direction with the low humidities could drive an intense fire through the Giant Forest, and possibly the Paradise Peak groves south of the fire.

5:51 a.m. PDT Sept. 17, 2021

In order to protect the largest tree in the world from a wildfire in Sequoia National Park extraordinary measures are being taken. In an effort to prepare a grove of giant sequoias for the expected spread of the KNP Complex of fires into the area, personnel are attaching fire resistant material usually used on structures on some of the iconic monarch sequoias that characterize the most famous area of Sequoia National Park. Firefighters are also carefully burning out around the largest or most vulnerable trees, basically treating them again with prescribed fire.

The KNP Complex of fires ignited by lightning on September 9 is growing in all directions in Sequoia National Park in Southern California. The complex is comprised of the Paradise and the Colony Fires. A mapping flight Thursday night found that the combined size of the two, which were about a quarter-mile apart, was approximately 11,300 acres.

To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the KNP Complex of fires, including the most recent, click HERE.

North of the Paradise Fire is the Giant Forest, a grove of very large giant sequoias. In this area is the General Sherman, the world’s largest tree measured by volume. It stands 275 feet tall, and is over 36 feet in diameter at the base. The National Park Service has been managing this grove with prescribed fire since the 1960s which will help the monster trees fend off the fire, but the multi-year drought has led to historically low fuel moistures, leading to concern that they could be damaged by these very intense fires.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office is maintaining a map showing the areas under evacuation orders.

On Thursday fire activity picked up in the late afternoon with terrain driven surface spread and short crown fire runs as the smoke cleared, humidity levels dropped, and the temperature increased.

Firefighters from CAL FIRE are building an indirect dozer line southwest of the Paradise Fire outside the National Park, a project that is expected to take several days to complete. It starts at park headquarters near the Ash Mountain Entrance and runs southeast along the toe of Paradise Ridge south of Milk Ranch.

There are multiple large giant sequoia groves and structures southeast of the Paradise Fire that could be threatened, including Atwell Grove, Silver City Resort, and Mineral King Ranger Station.

Resources assigned to the fire include 10 hand crews, 28 engines, and 8 helicopters for a total of 416 personnel.

10:17 a.m. PDT Sept. 15, 2021

The KNP Complex of fires more than doubled in size Tuesday, growing by more than 4,000 acres to bring the combined size of the Paradise and Colony Fires up to 7,039 acres.

The southernmost blaze, Paradise, is now well established on the north side of the Generals Highway and the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.

To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the KNP Complex of fires, including the most recent, click HERE.

There is concern that the giant sequoia trees could be more vulnerable to fire than usual during this drought and the very low fuel moistures. During a Tuesday evening mapping flight the Colony Fire was about a half mile west of the Giant Forest grove but it has to cross the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River to get there. The Paradise Fire was a little over a mile south of the grove.

The incident management team predicts that by the end of the day on Thursday the two fires will have merged at Generals Highway. The Colony fire will likely run uphill in Yuca Creek to the north and uphill to the Giant Forest of sequoias.

The weather is not in favor of the firefighters on Wednesday. There is no rain in the forecast and good ventilation will favor fire growth. Afternoon and evening winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph are expected. A cooling trend will take place beginning Thursday and continue through the weekend.

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6:47 p.m. PDT Sept. 14 2021

Tuesday afternoon the KNP Complex of fires, comprised of the Colony and Paradise Fires, was mapped at a total of 5,861 acres.

An Evacuation Order, meaning evacuate now, is in effect for the community of Sycamore within Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. Other areas are under a warning that they may have to evacuate. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office is maintaining a map showing these areas.

In addition to spreading to the north, the Paradise Fire has grown to the south, crossed Paradise Ridge, and is backing down the other side, according to the Deputy Fire Management Officer for the park who participated in a briefing in a community meeting Tuesday evening.

An incident base will be established near Horse Creek Campground and will include a mobile fire retardant plant for helicopters. This is 11 air miles southwest of the Paradise Fire off of Generals Highway.

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10:56 a.m. PDT Sept. 14, 2021

Two lightning-caused wildfires in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park that started September 9 in southern California were very active Monday, more than doubling in size. The KNP Complex is comprised of two fires that were previously separated by the Generals Highway, 198, and the Middle Fork Kaweah River. The Paradise Fire is on the south side and the Colony Fire is on Colony Peak north of the river and the highway.

Continue reading “KNP Complex of fires grows, crosses Highway 198 in Sequoia NP”