KNP Complex reaches Giant Forest, explodes to 17K acres as Colony, Paradise fires merge overnight
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The KNP Complex exploded overnight Friday as flames breached the Giant Forest, the world's largest giant sequoia grove and home to the Earth's largest tree, the General Sherman Tree.
The Colony and Paradise fires, which together comprise the KNP Complex, merged late Friday and grew to more than 17,000 acres. The blaze, which has shuttered the world-famous Sequoia National Park, remains uncontained.
The grove, usually bustling and packed with tourists during the waning summer season, was instead filled with green Forest Service engines and yellow hose as the smoky sky above the towering monarchs glowed apocalyptic orange.
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Firefighters have spent the past week preparing the Giant Forest for the impending flames. Vegetation in and around the grove was cleared while some trees — including the General Sherman — were wrapped at the base in fire-resistant aluminum.
The KNP Complex reached a small area of the Giant Forest Friday, in an area known as the Four Guardsman, where trees "had been thoroughly prepped in recent days," incident commanders reported.
Fire has not reached General Sherman Tree. Hotshot crews on the ground are working to determine whether it is safe to send more firefighters to the area.
While low- and moderate-intensity fires are beneficial to giant sequoia, massive blazes such as the KNP Complex can kill them. Last year's Castle Fire burned through an area just south of the KNP Complex and killed 10% to 14% of the world's monarch sequoias -- up to 10,600 trees.
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Lightning ignited the KNP Complex during a Sept. 9 thunderstorm that swept across California, also sparking the Windy Fire to the south. The 12,000-acre Windy Fire has burned through at least one sequoia grove and is threatening several others near the footprint of the Castle Fire.
Firefighters are preparing for the worst as winds pick up significantly and Red Flag Warning — indicating a high wildfire risk — takes effect across the region 5 p.m. Saturday.
"Winds are expected to pick up in and around the fire area. Crews are preparing for changes and possible significant increases in fire activity," the incident commander's report stated.
Efforts are focused on attacking the blaze with helicopters when possible and constructing dozer lines to protect neighboring inhabited communities Mineral King and Three Rivers, which are under evacuation warnings and orders.
Despite low overnight humidity, the fire did not grow significantly toward Three Rivers, home to about 2,500 people and a major gateway community.
Kings Canyon National Park,, connected to Sequoia National Park, remains open despite "significant air quality impacts." The road between the parks is close. The air in Three Rivers and other communities on the San Joaquin Valley floor has been hazardous to breathe, air monitors reported.
More than 400 firefighters from numerous local, state and federal agencies are battling the blaze that threatens one of the world's only habitats for the giant sequoia.
Joshua Yeager covers water, agriculture, parks, and housing for the Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @VTD_Joshy. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.