Sequoia National Park is now closed, with all employees that lived inside of park boundaries evacuated due to "significant growth" of the KNP Complex Fire over the last 24 hours.
The KNP Complex Fire started from last Thursday's lightning strikes, which didn't have much of an impact in the Bay Area or Northern California.
But in Central California, the sparks started two fires in steep, densely vegetated areas. The large, statuesque sequoia trees that are found only in the state are especially at risk.
"There are other groves in California, but it's a real concern," said Mark Ruggiero, fire information officer for the National Park Service. In order to assign some buffer space between the precious trees and the fire, evacuation orders and warnings have been enacted in the area.
"On the Colony Fire we’re using Crystal Cave Road to help keep the fire from going north into the sequoia groves," said Ruggiero.
Other access points to the park have also been closed.
For the Paradise Fire, Mineral King Road and Highway 198 east of the intersection with Mineral King Road is under an evacuation order.
The teams working in the area are doing the best they can, but firefighters working against the complex are exhausted. "A lot of these firefighters have literally been on the road since June," Ruggiero said. "They only get two days off every 14 days."
An evacuation warning has been expanded to encompass the rest of Three Rivers, from Edison Dr. east to Mineral King Rd. This includes the Cherokee Oaks, North Fork Dr., South Fork Dr., Old Three Rivers Rd., and Blossom Dr.
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