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June 28, 2021 - SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. - Due to extreme fire danger, record setting temperatures, drought, and commitment of firefighting resources both regionally and nationally, the parks are increasing fire restrictions to Stage 3 – their highest level.

Effective at 12:00 p.m. on July 1, 2021, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are enacting a parks-wide campfire and smoking ban. This includes all campgrounds, picnic and day-use areas, and wilderness locations inside the parks. There are no exceptions to this change.

“This ban on all campfires in our front-country and wilderness areas is designed to reduce our risk from unwanted human-caused fires during the hottest and driest part of the year,” said Chief John Ziegler, parks’ fire management officer. He added, “We must all do more than before to be extra safe and cautious this year.”

The increased fire restrictions can be summed up to be:

• Wood and charcoal fires (including wood-burning stoves) are illegal at all elevations and locations.
  • Employee housing and private property throughout the parks are included.
• Gas, propane, alcohol (with and without a shutoff valve), and tablet/cube stoves are permitted in all areas.
• No smoking at any elevation except within an enclosed vehicle, a building in which smoking is allowed, or a designated smoking area.

These restrictions will remain in effect until conditions in the area have progressed to a point where minimal public hazard remains, as determined by the Parks’ Superintendent.

Also, firefighters and park rangers want to remind the public that fireworks of any kind are strictly illegal in all national parks year-round. Please do not even bring them into the parks during this critical time.

For information on the other fire restriction stage levels, please visit https://go.nps.gov/sekifirerestrictions 

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About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks' Fire Management Program

For over fifty years, our mission has been to use the full range of options and strategies available to manage fire in the parks. This includes protecting park resources, employees, and the public from unwanted fire; building and maintaining fire resilient ecosystems; reducing the threat to local communities from wildfires emanating from the parks or adjacent lands; and recruiting, training, and retaining a professional fire management workforce.
Source: NPS