National Parks Traveler

Many public areas of Sequoia National Park were closing to the KNP Complex of wildfires/NPS

Complex Of Wildfires At Sequoia National Park Spurring Evacuations

Lassen Volcanic National Park Remains Closed

Compiled From NPS Releases

Highly combustible forests and rugged terrain in both Sequoia and Lassen Volcanic national parks in California gave firefighters on the ground little option but to watch as flames jumped across the two parks. While Lassen Volcanic has been closed to the public since early August, parts of Sequoia closed this week as a complex of fires was galloping across the landscape and forcing area evacuations.

Two fires at Sequoia were heading towards the Giant Forest and its majestic giant sequoia trees, though park staff vowed to do everything possible to save the forest.

"The wildfires have potential to affect park infrastructure and resources. We’re attacking the fires aggressively and we’re bringing in all available resources to help," read a statement on the park's website. "We understand the importance of protecting iconic features such as the General Sherman Tree, the Congress Trail, and the Giant Forest Sequoia Grove, and we’ll do everything we can to keep them safe."

Highway 180 to Grant Grove Village and Cedar Grove was open Tuesday morning, as were facilities and wilderness areas in Kings Canyon National Park.

The KNP wildfire complex in the park, ignited late last week by a lightning storm, had blown up to more than 3,000 acres by Tuesday morning.

Paradise and Colony fires seen from Buck Rock Fire Lookout/NPS, Chris Boss

All front country areas of Sequoia were closed by the flames and all wilderness permits for trailheads in the park were cancelled. The Mineral King area, from the Oak Bridge to the end of the road, was under mandatory evacuation order from Tulare County Sheriff while the community of Three Rivers, east of the intersection of Highway 198 and North Fork Road, was under voluntary evacuation warning Tuesday morning from the sheriff. That order did not include residences on North Fork or South Fork roads. 

The fires that make up the KNP Complex, the Colony and Paradise blazes, were both burning in steep, densely-forested terrain. The Paradise Fire has been inaccessible from the ground, and air resources have been very active with water and retardant drops to slow spread. The fire, which was estimated at 2,531 acres, had crossed north across the Generals Highway near the Potwisha Campground and posed a threat to the Giant Forest area.

Ground crews have been able to access the Colony Fire, which was said to cover 493 acres, but the area is heavily affected by tree mortality, and standing dead trees were feeding the flames and also posed a major safety concern to firefighters on the ground. Air resources have been extremely active on this fire as well. Still, the flames were threatening the Giant Forest and Lodgepole areas of Sequoia.

Effects of the Dixie Fire on Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway east of Kings Creek area and above Warner Valley/NPS

At Lassen Volcanic, more than 72,000 acres of the 106,452-acre park have been burned by the Dixie Fire, which entered the southeastern corner of the park on August 5 and since has roared to all the way to the northern border, claiming a number of structures and infrastructure along the way. The flames claimed seven of eight cabins located on the northwest shore of Juniper Lake shortly after the blaze entered the park six weeks ago. Most of the destroyed structures were private, inholder cabins, privately owned before the park’s founding. One was owned by the Park Service.

Firefighters were able, though, to leverage the park’s previous and current fire and fuels management projects to preserve park resources and structures. Still, the destroyed and damaged structures and facilities highlight the reality that fuels treatment alone cannot prevent loss from catastrophic fire. At Drakesbad Guest Ranch in the Warner Valley area of the park, a combination of efforts left most structures intact. However, the park staff report that two of five guest ranch duplex units, the annex, and water treatment plant were destroyed.

On Monday staff at Lassen Volcanic reported that the Dixie Fire burned "at low intensity around Kings Creek Upper Meadow toward the base of Reading Peak. The large rocky outcroppings on this volcanic dome complex provided a natural barrier to help slow fire activity."