Click here for Monday's Update: KNP Complex Wildfires in Sequoia National Park Monday, October 18, 2021 Updates
Sunday's Infrared Map
Note: Map is 1,200 pixels wide.
Click here for Monday's Update: KNP Complex Wildfires in Sequoia National Park Monday, October 18, 2021 Updates
Update:
Acres: 87,890 acres
Containment: 55%
Start Date: September 10, 2021
Cause: Lightning
Jurisdiction: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks; Sequoia National Forest
Resources: 747 personnel including: 11 crews, 30 engines, 23 water tenders, 7 dozers and 12 helicopters
Cooler temperatures will move in late this morning, pushed by strong winds out of the southwest. Ahead of the cold front, an increase in fire activity is expected, with single or group tree torching possible. Surface fuels below the Giant Forest are sparse, so no extreme fire activity within the Grove is expected. East of the Grove, a crew will be flying in to wrap the Redwood Meadow Patrol Cabin ahead of the increased fire activity and potential spread. Across the rest of the fire, mop up activities are well underway, and fireline strengthening and improvements are being made where necessary. Fallers (logging workers) and a feller buncher (a large piece of mechanized equipment capable of moving multiple logs at a time) are working along Redwood Mountain Road to mitigate hazards from heat-damaged trees and limbs.
Fire suppression repair groups have initiated work on non-primary containment lines, which are lines not currently being utilized to hold the fire back. The construction of water bars will ensure proper drainage and improve water quality, and dozer line rehabilitation and chipping activities have commenced. More equipment is expected to arrive daily, including additional chippers and excavators. Future suppression repair work will include road and fireline grading to minimize impacts to vehicles, and pulling in berms and woody debris developed in the construction of firelines. In areas where dozer lines were driven on by emergency response vehicles, resource advisors will determine whether the areas need to be tilled to reduce soil compaction. Blocking and/or camouflaging firelines from intersections or from public view discourages future motorized use since those areas can sometimes be mistaken for legal, off-highway vehicle trails or roads and are unsafe for travel. Signs, gates and barriers are often damaged by fire activities, creating public safety concerns. In the KNP Complex area, these items will be inventoried before decisions about repair/replacement can be made.
Kings Canyon National Park will open with reduced services on Monday, October 18. Visit www.nps.gov/SEKI for more information. Developed areas of the Sequoia National Park remain closed, and all previous closures of the Sequoia National Forest remain in effect.
Weather: A low-pressure system moving in this morning will bring gusty winds, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity. A very cold air mass will settle over the fire area tonight.
Safety: Please be aware of and respect closures and reduce speeds when traveling in and around the fire area.
Evacuations: For the most up-to-date information, visit: https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=4b2ac27b5c8943ed92c0e77aa94daca0.
Closures: View closures at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7838/.
Smoke Impacts: Current air quality updates can be found at https://www.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/FresnoCA.
October 17, 2021 - KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park updates for Sunday: 87,826 Acres with 55% Containment.
Overnight Infrared Flight Notes: Interpreted Size: 87,826 Interpreted Acres - Growth since last flight: About 103 Acres
-Noticeable increase in interior heat intensity and spread. More scattered heat and previous isolated heat turning into larger areas. Unburned islands inside perimeter are shrinking.
-SSE perimeter along East Fork Kaweah River. LWIR imagery shows no heat signatures across river.
Click here for: KNP Complex Wildfires in Sequoia National Park Saturday, October 16, 2021 Updates
Sunday's Public Information Map
Map Shows Uncontrolled Fire Edge.
Note: Map is 1,200 pixels wide.
