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Area Evacuation Orders Lead To Closure Of Sequoia National Park

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By NPT Staff - September 15th, 2020

Evacuation orders for Three Rivers, California, due to the SQF fire complex led Tuesday to the closure of Sequoia National Park.

“With Three Rivers and the park headquarters under an evacuation notice, staff is focused on preparing to evacuate,” said acting Superintendent Lee Taylor. “To ensure any pending evacuation goes as smoothly as possible we are closing the park to visitors.”

Neighboring Kings Canyon National Park remains open at this time. However, visitors will not be able to access Sequoia National Park from Highway 198 or Highway 180 out of Fresno.

The Giant Forest in Sequoia will be inaccessible to visitors, and all park campgrounds have been closed. Outstanding campground reservations were being cancelled and refunded. Mineral King Road also remains closed at this time.

The SQF Complex burning south and west of Sequoia covered more than 107,000 acres early Tuesday, and was just 12 percent contained. The fire was burning in stands of dense mixed conifer with heavy brush below timberlines. 

The fire's behavior, and lack of firefighting resources, were constraining efforts to contain the blaze.

"As opportunities allow, crews are looking for opportunities to create containment lines, though delayed to extreme fire behavior," read the Tuesday morning fire briefing. "Resource shortage is limiting containment effort, while point protection remains the highest priority."

The briefing also said the fire "will threaten the community of Springville, Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park, as well as structures scattered along the west slopes."

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