Smoke Outlook for 9/15 - 9/16

Southern Sierra - Sequoia : SQF Complex

Issued at: 2020-09-15 07:51 PDT
 

Yesterday, Owens Valley and Kennedy Meadows experienced

Moderate air while Kern River drainage, Sierra Foothills &

Sequoia NP experienced more degraded air (exception

Pinehurst & Giant Forest). Today, smoke impact is expected to

be a repeat performance. But, air quality is expected to be

slightly worse across the Outlook area. Ridge winds are still SSE.

SQF's smoke will significantly impact the Creek Fire & San

Joaquin Valley.

Special Notes

Outlooks reflect particulate matter impacts on air quality.

Review your closest monitoring station when planning outdoor

activities. Roadway Visibility can be affected. Drive with care.

This is an update for Tulare County, in addition to the Mandatory South Fork Evacuation, Tulare County has also issued a Voluntary Evacuation Warning for the remainder of Three Rivers Area, as of 1:15 PM, due to the growth of the SQF Complex Fire. An Evacuation Warning, also known as a voluntary evacuation, means that you should prepare now to evacuate. Those who require extra time to evacuate should consider leaving at this time. Again, Mandatory Evacuation for South Fork, Voluntary Evacuation for the Greater Three Rivers Area.

TULARE COUNTY ANNOUNCES MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR PORTIONS OF THREE RIVERS
Temporary Shelter Location in Exeter

VISALIA, CA – The Tulare County Sheriff announces mandatory evacuation for Three Rivers, south and east from 198, east to south of the Fork Campground, including South Fork Drive, Horn, and Cahoon Mtn. and adjacent roads, due to the SQF Complex fire activity.

Mandatory evacuation means an immediate threat to life safety and property; all residents must evacuate the area.

Evacuate north on South Fork Drive to west Old Three Rivers to head west on 198. Road closures are as follows:
• Highway 190 at Balch Park
Balch Park & Bear Creek
• Balch Park & Yokohl
• Mountain 50 & 107
• Mountain 99 & Sherman Pass, Sherman Pass & Cherry

The temporary evacuation point is at the Exeter Memorial Building, 324 N. Kaweah in Exeter. Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency Public Health, Behavioral Health, and Human Services will be present until 8:00 p.m. at this time. Anyone who needs a hotel should call 1-800-Red-Cross and register as an evacuee.

Woodlake Fair/Rodeo grounds, located at 19400 Avenue 398, has been identified as the point of entry for large animals being evacuated. For smaller domestic animals, the Tulare County Animal Shelter is housing animals and staff are at the shelter at 14131 Ave. 256 in Visalia. For information about sheltering your small domestic animals, call Shelter Manager Cassandra Heffington at (559) 679-6222. The Woodlake location will be staffed until 8:00 p.m. tonight.

The Sheriff’s Office has been working to communicate with residents for several days.

Please call 2-1-1 with questions.

For questions about the fire, please call (559) 697-5148.

CASTLE FIRE UPDATE: Springville Added to Voluntary Evacuation Warning List

Sheriff Boudreaux has now issued a VOLUNTARY EVACUATION WARNING for Springville.

This is NOT a mandatory evacuation order. BUT if you live in the Springville area, you need to be prepared to leave. If you require more time to evacuate, or have large animals you need to move, it is wise to begin leaving now.

Mandatory Evacuation Orders:
- Ponderosa
- Alpine Village
- Sequoia Crest
- Doyle Springs
- Highway 190 along the south from the intersection of Balch Park Rd. north to Blue Ridge Lookout east to Moses Mountain, and south to Highway 190 at Mahogany Flat
- Upper Tule River Corridor (Camp Nelson, Pierpoint, Coy Flat, Mountain Aire, and points between)
- Cedar Slope

Voluntary Evacuation Warnings:
- South Fork
- Community of Springville, all points between Globe Drive and Balch Park Rd

Road Closures:
- Highway 190 at Balch Park,
- Balch Park & Bear Creek,
- Balch Park & Yokohl,
- Mountain 90 &107
- Mountain 50 & Sherman Pass
- Sherman Pass & Cherry
- Sequoia National Forest/Park Closure
- Hwy 198 to the Giant Forest

Sequoia Complex (#SQFComplex) Fire Update

Sequoia and Inyo National Forests

September 14, 2020

Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1

Mike Goicoechea, Incident Commander
 

Fire Information: 559-697-5148, 8 AM-8 PM

Email: sqfcomplex2020@gmail.com

Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7048/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SequoiaNF     www.facebook.com/inyonf

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TulareCountyFireDepartment

Twitter: @sequoiaforest and @Inyo_NF

Incident Statistics

Location: 25 miles N of Kernville, CA

Date of origin: 8/19/20  

Cause: Lightning

Size: 90,845 acres           

Containment: 12%

Cost: $23.3 million          

Injuries: 12

Civilians evacuated: 3,483

Structures threatened: 1,683

Structures destroyed: 62

Resources

Hand Crews: 10

Engines: 55

Water-tenders: 18          

Dozers: 7

Helicopters: 8   

Personnel: 764
 

Today’s update reports that 62 structures have been lost. We understand the community is very concerned and wants updates on specific homes and structures. Active fire in the area has made it unsafe for county officials to enter and assess damages. A Tulare County building official will be notifying property owners of losses.

“We understand the news about lost structures, people’s homes, is difficult to hear,” said Sequoia National Forest Supervisor Teresa Benson. “We are asking for the public’s patience as the safety of firefighter’s lives is paramount. As soon as it is safe, affected communities will be assessed and property owners notified by county officials.”

Area residents are advised to sign up for emergency notifications for Tulare County at alerttc.com. Evacuation statuses may change rapidly due to dynamic fire activity. Please heed all warnings from emergency officials. If you feel that your life and property are in danger, do not wait for an evacuation notice.

Due to the movement of the fire to the west and potential impacts to communities, the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 is in unified command with CAL FIRE as of 1900 on Sunday, September 13th. CAL FIRE Team 6 will be taking the west side of the fire.

Sequoia (#SQF) Complex: Acreages are 90,093 acres for the Castle Fire and 752 acres for Shotgun fire, for a total of 90,845 acres. The complex is currently 12% contained.

Castle Fire: A significant fire run that pushed the fire west, began on Saturday and continued through Sunday. The fire is currently 1.5 – 2 miles west of Mountain Home.  Fire activity began early on Sunday, with the Jordan Peak Communication Tower being impacted just after midnight. Structure protection was engaged in Alpine Village, Sequoia Crest, and Doyle Springs. The fire gained momentum at this time with strong easterly winds pushing the fire down drainages towards the west with very rapid rates of spread. By 10 AM, the fire was intensely impacting those communities. Wind speeds of over 60 miles per hour impacted the ability to use aerial resources until mid-morning.

Resources were shifted from other flanks of the fire and moved over to the active edge to engage the fire to the extent possible. Late Sunday, firefighters were able to get into the Alpine Village area to provide protection to structures that had not been impacted. Due to remaining heat and impacted roadways in Sequoia Crest, resources were not able to get in to this community. 

Resources on the ground and in the air will be coordinated and continually evaluated today. Aerial resources will continue to be used as long as they are safely able to fly and will be dropping water and retardant. Active surface fire with moderate rates of forward spread is in the fire behavior forecast, spotting up to a half mile is likely.  Fire will again be active this morning. The priority is to protect values at risk in local communities, providing for firefighter safety first.

On the Sequoia National Park, structure protection at the Kern Canyon Ranger Station will be continued. This work will be completed within the next 1-2 operational shifts. Structure protection and assessment is complete in the Casa Vieja and Monache Meadows. On the eastern finger of the fire, crews have been able to go direct on both the north and south sides, and this area is close to containment. Contained lines on the southern flank will continue to be monitored by air.

Shotgun Fire:  The fire has grown approximately 100 acres and currently is at 752 acres. It is burning in a rocky drainage and being monitored by aircraft.  

Weather: Monday’s weather will remain hot and dry with southeast to south winds at upper elevations. Temperatures on will continue to range from the mid-70s at higher elevations to around 90 in the lower elevations. Relative humidity levels will again fall into the low teens and single upper digits.

Smoke: Smoke is anticipated to impact the fire again starting Monday, and especially on Tuesday as the upper flow becomes more southwesterly to westerly. For current air quality, visit: https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Evacuations and Closures:

• Current Evacuation Orders and Warnings from the Tulare County Sheriff may be found at https://www.facebook.com/TulareSheriff . 
• Tulare County residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency notifications at alerttc.com
• The Red Cross has reopened an evacuation center at Porterville Community College and opened an evacuation center at the North Exeter Community Building. For further evacuation assistance, call the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or https://tinyurl.com/yafetgkj
• Park and Campgrounds closures: Potwisha Campground in Sequoia National Park; Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest; Tulare County’s Balch Park Campground; and all the campgrounds within the Sequoia and Inyo National Forests.  
• All National Forests in California are currently closed as of September 9, 2020.
• Current conditions in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks may be found at: https://tinyurl.com/y3q9x5l8.
• For current information on California Highways, visit https://dot.ca.gov/ . Be aware that there are other road closures, including local and Parks roads.
• The current Temporary Flight Restriction for the Sequoia Complex may be found by clicking here. The use of drones over the fire is also prohibited.  

Priorities include: Communities listed in the above evacuation orders, Casa Vieja, Blackrock Ranger Station, Rogers Camp, Beach Meadows, Monache Meadows, structures along the Lloyd Meadows Road, Freeman Grove, the President George H.W. Bush Tree, Camp Whitsett, archeological values, Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog and Little Kern Golden Trout Critical Habitats, Pacific Fisher habitats, OSA, Beach, and Beck Meadows, trailheads and facilities.

Smoke Outlook for 9/14 - 9/15

Southern Sierra - Sequoia : SQF Complex

Issued at: 2020-09-14 08:15 PDT

Smoke

Yesterday, air quality was affected by E winds & fire breakout.

Owens Valley and Kennedy Meadows experienced clear air

while Kern River drainage, Sierra Foothills & Sequoia NP

experienced degraded air. Today, smoke will be widely shared.

Ridge winds are S-SE. More smoke will remain close to the

surface. Owen Valley, Kerr River drainage, Sequoia NP, and

Sierra Foothills will experience varying levels of air quality thru

the day except Kennedy Meadows (clear air). SQF Complex

smoke will impact Creek Fire.

Special Notes

Outlooks reflect particulate matter impacts on air quality.

Review your closest monitoring station when planning outdoor

activities. Roadway Visibility can be affected.

Sequoia National Park Implements Closure of Generals Highway  
    

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. September 13, 2020 – Sequoia National Park implements an immediate road closure of the Generals Highway from Highway 198 in Three Rivers to the Giant Forest Museum starting at 6 am on Monday, September 14, 2020. The immediate partial park closure is in direct relation to the SQF Complex currently burning south and west of the park.  
    

Generals Highway beginning in the gateway community of Three Rivers, through the Ash Mountain Entrance Station to the Giant Forest Museum will be closed through the duration of fire activity in this region. Visitors will still be able to access Sequoia National Park through the Big Stump Entrance Station, on Highway 180 from Fresno, to view the sequoia trees at this time. “Our number one priority is public and employee safety. It is crucial to take care of our staff and our gateway community of Three Rivers.” Acting Superintendent Lee Taylor, “With this partial park closure, it is our intention to reduce possible evacuation complexity of the Three Rivers community by reducing the amount of visitors in the area.” 

We understand this is a stressful situation and Sequoia National Park is a major attraction in the region. Park managers are being mindful to the welfare to our staff, community and partners as well as our commitment to the public to provide a safe environment. The decision to close Generals Highway will reduce complexity if an evacuation is ordered for Three Rivers.      
 

In the closure of this section of Generals Highway, Potwisha Campground will also be closed and all reservations will be cancelled and refunded. The Giant Forest, including General Sherman Tree will remain open at this time but expect the Crescent Meadow Road, which includes Tunnel Log, Tharp’s Log and Moro Rock, to be closed. Public access to Mineral King Road is also closed. Park managers will reassess daily and additional closures may be implemented.  

For additional information on the SQF Complex, please visit inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7048     

For air quality information, please visit fire.airnow.gov  

An interactive map showing the current evacuation areas due to the Sequoia Complex (#SQFComplex) wildfire can be found at this Tulare County website:

https://tularecounty.ca.gov/emergencies/?fbclid=IwAR1fpypKViESuVS7tGfkGkmjxEpic5scaBSxQtwIEQ0s9PwWfymxXx72PAc

Sequoia Complex (#SQFComplex) Fire Information –

Animals needing shelter due to evacuations from the Sequoia Complex Wildfire may be taken to the following locations.

Small/Domestic Animals - Tulare County Animal Shelter - 559-670-9072

Large Animals - North County - Woodlake Rodeo

Large Animals - South County - Porterville Fair Grounds

Sequoia Complex (#SQFComplex) - The American Red Cross has reopened an evacuation center at Porterville Community College. Evacuees can go to Gate 2 for assistance.