Single Publication

Resources: 2,500 personnel, 71 hand crews, 136 engines, 17 helicopters, 23 dozers, 12 water tenders
 Structures Threatened: 2,000 Residences, 100 Commercial Buildings
 Structures Destroyed: 14 Residences, 12 Outbuildings, 2 Commercial Buildings
 Injuries: 4

 TULARE COUNTY RESIDENT INFORMATIOn: 14 homes and 12 outbuildings have been reported destroyed. Residents requesting information on the status of their property can call the Tulare County Information Hotline at (559) 802-9790. Affected property owners should complete the September Lighting Fire Information Form online at: https://bit.ly/3ETdZjI. Forest Service staff have completed assessments of the White River and Spear Creek Summer Home Tracts on the Sequoia National Forest.

 CURRENT SITUATION: The Windy Fire is 89,804, acres with 40% containment and is a full suppression fire. The fire is burning on the Tule River Indian Reservation and the Sequoia National Forest, including the Giant Sequoia National Monument. The fire perimeter increased 1,736 acres in the last 24 hours.

 Early morning observations from the camera at Tobias Peak showed the fire burning actively. While it is October 1st, conditions in the forest are more like what you would observe in August, very dry with warm temperatures and low humidity. These conditions will increase fire behavior today, especially in the chamise and chaparral brush type in the Kern River Canyon.

 The top priority continues to be the southwest side where crews continue to make good progress securing containment lines and providing structure defense around Sugarloaf and Sugarloaf Mountain Park north towards Pine Flat and California Hot Springs. Crews are constructing and improving indirect (away from the fire’s edge) containment lines from M 50 (at the switchbacks) northwest to Lone Pine Mountain and looking for opportunities to construct direct hand line at the fire’s edge.

 On the northwest side, crews continue to construct direct and indirect containment lines from Wheatons south to Lone Pine Mountain on the Tule River Indian Reservation. If conditions permit, crews will continue a tactical firing operation to help improve containment lines. Tactical firing operations allow firefighters to remove vegetation along the indirect containment line which reduces the threat of the fire advancing.On the north side, firefighters continue tactical patrols (extinguishing any burning vegetation, stumps, etc.)  along the Coy Flat Road (FS Road 21S94) northeast to Coy Flat. On the northeast side near Ponderosa, crews continue holding and improving containment lines east to the Lloyd Meadow Road (FS Road 22S28) and south to Johnsondale. Crews will continue tactical patrols extinguishing any burning stumps, trees and vegetation.

 On the east and southeast side, crews continue structure defense in the Vincent Meadow area along Sugarloaf Road (23S16).  In the Kern River Canyon, the fire continues to hold on the upper west slope between Tobias Creek and Flynn Canyon. Helicopters and the Bombardier CL-515, (Super Scooper) will continue dropping water and retardant on the upper ridge to slow the fire’s movement east towards the Kern River. Crews will continue structure defense in Fairview.

 On the south side, the fire is burning in the 2016 Cedar Fire burn scar and crews are building direct hand line at the fire’s edge west towards Sugarloaf. Pockets of dead and down trees are burning outside of the containment line and firefighters are working to put line around those spot fires.

 WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR: Very dry and warm conditions will prevail through the weekend.  The smoke inversion will disperse in late morning, early afternoon. Winds will be light except in the Kern Canyon which could see gusty afternoon winds.

 EVACUATIONS ORDERS: The following information is from the Tulare County Sherriff’s Office.  Evacuation orders and warnings can change suddenly, please refer to https://tularecounty.ca.gov/emergencies/  for the Windy Fire Evacuation Warning Area Map. For more information, please call 2-1-1.

• The communities of Sugarloaf, Sugarloaf Mountain Park, Sugarloaf Saw Mill, White River, Idlewild, Posey, Panorama Heights, Poso, Balance Rock, Spear Creek, from the existing Hot Springs Evacuation Order west to King George Peak, south to County M56, including Oak Flat, Twin Peak, to Vincent Ranch at the Tulare-Kern Counties Border, east to Portuguese Peak, and back north to Dunlap Meadow.
• California Hot Springs and Pine Flat areas. The evacuation order includes M-504 at Tyler Creek, Southeast to Pine Flat, West to M-56 and Fire Control Road, North up Tyler Creek Road. This includes structures, side roads, and attached roads.
• Mountain Aire and Rogers Camp.
• Johnsondale and Camp Whitsett, including M107 at Dome Rock, east to Lloyd Meadow Road (FS Road 22S82), south to M99 at Sherman Pass Road, west to M107 and M50.
• The area of McNally’s from Sherman Pass Road to Corral Creek.