Single Publication

Start Date: 9/9
Cause: Lightning
Size: 97,554 acres
Percent Containment: 88
Helicopter: 7
Engines: 20
Crews: 8
Dozers: 6
Total Personnel: 559

At Thursday’s day-shift briefing, an elder from the Tule River Tribe blessed the fire personnel who have worked to suppress and contain the Windy Fire since its discovery on September 9. Before beginning his song, Joey Garfield thanked firefighters and support teams for protecting “the trees and the people who were here before them.” The fire began with a lightning strike on the Tule River Reservation, only a few months after the Nettle Fire began on tribal lands.

CURRENT CONDITIONS: Wednesday was the final night shift on the Windy Fire. Meanwhile, day crews continue removing fire-weakened or fallen trees and other fuels along firelines and suppressing pockets of heat near the line. Open sections of the Windy Fire containment line continue to be monitored by firefighters on the ground and infrared flights. These sections are in steep, remote terrain, where firefighters can’t safely get close to the fire’s edge to dig containment lines. This ground-and-air strategy allows firefighters to respond quickly if the fire threatens to spread.

While crews are making significant progress repairing fire suppression impacts, the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team continues to evaluate the burned area. The BAER team has reached out to local, state, and federal organizations to coordinate and share information about the fire. At the end of their assessment, they will propose emergency response actions to protect people, land, and critical natural and cultural heritage resources.

Drivers using open access roads near the fire boundary should be mindful of fire personnel and equipment.

SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST CLOSURES REMAIN: The Windy Fire Area, Trails, and Roads Closure established by the Sequoia National Forest, Giant Sequoia National Monument, and Western Divide Ranger District remains in effect. Only authorized Forest and fire personnel are allowed inside the closed areas. Roadblocks remain at Western Divide Highway (M107) near Ponderosa, M99 at Lloyd Meadow Road, and Parker Pass (M50) at Parker Meadow above California Hot Springs. Details are available online at the following sites: 

• Windy Fire Forest Order: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7841/67270/

• Windy Fire Area, Trails, and Roads Closure map: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/photos/CASQF/2021-09-12-1443-Windy/related_files/pict20210909-165257-0.jpeg

• Fire updates and Forest Orders: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sequoia.

SMOKE REPORTS: Smoke reports will no longer be issued for the Windy Fire.

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