The Lost Fire seen from a reconnaissance flight on Monday, July 12.
NPS Photo
In order to mitigate smoke potential impacts throughout the remainder of the summer, and to minimize resource damage due to critically low fuel moistures, both fires are being suppressed. Firefighters have been inserted via helicopter to suppress the Sugar Fire. For the larger Lost Fire, located in remote, rugged terrain, south of the Middle Fork of the Kings River in the Slide Bluff area, fire personnel are utilizing a confine and contain strategy.
Helicopter 530 from Los Padres National Forest will be assisting with the management of the Lost Fire. Fire managers are strategizing about how to insert firefighters to engage in more direct suppression tactics.
In Sequoia National Park, pockets of active fire continue to emerge within the footprint of the 2020 Castle Fire. Continued hot and dry weather will likely lead to the discovery of more trees in this area that have continued to smolder since last year.
"The fact that we’re still seeing fire activity in the Castle Fire footprint, as well as new starts, really underscores the importance of preventing human-caused fires in the parks during this extremely dry and hot summer,” says Fire Management Officer John Ziegler. “We’re in stage three fire restrictions, which means no charcoal or wood fires or barbeques are allowed anywhere in the parks. We hope the need for those restrictions is clear under these circumstances.”
Further updates on these fires will be issued as more information becomes available. For more information on fire in the parks, visit go.nps.gov/sekifire.
Source: SEKI
