Update on the KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park
This news story about the expanding KNP Complex fire in Sequoia National Park is based on a September 14, 2021 National Park Service press release. You can read the original release here.
The KNP Complex, ignited by lightning on the night of September 9 as we reported earlier, continues to grow in Sequoia National Park. The complex is comprised of the Paradise Fire and the Colony Fire.
Last night, September 13, the Paradise Fire made a downhill run and crossed the middle fork of the Kaweah River and the Generals Highway. As a result of this, the parks are evacuating employees from the Ash Mountain Headquarters Complex and nearby housing areas.
KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park Continues to Grow Significantly, Forcing Evacuations
The Paradise Fire has a new acreage of 2,531 acres, and the Colony Fire has a new acreage of 493 acres, for a combined total for the KNP Complex of 3,024, with 0% containment.
In the coming days, the current and incoming incident management teams will operate out of the Three Rivers Memorial Building. Per Tulare County Sheriff, part of the community of Three Rivers remains under evacuation warning.
This area includes all points along both sides of Highway 198 between the intersection with North Fork Drive and the entrance to Sequoia National Park. North Fork and South Fork Drives are not included in the evacuation warning.
The evacuation warning is, however, not an order. It means that residents should prepare for the possibility of evacuation, so that they will be ready to mobilize and leave should the evacuation warning escalate to an evacuation order. Mineral King remains under evacuation order.
The KNP Complex has been a full suppression incident since the discovery of the smokes the morning following the lightning storm.
In the case of the Paradise Fire, extremely steep topography and a total lack of access has prevented any ground crew operations. Additionally, in the case of the Colony Fire, only a limited amount of ground crew access has been possible.
Both fires have utilized extensive aerial resources performing water and retardant drops, but even this was hindered yesterday by bad visibility in extremely smoky conditions.
You can find up-to-date information about current conditions and closures related to the KNP Complex fire in Sequoia National Park on the park’s website.
For additional updates on the KNP Complex, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7838/.
