The SQF Fire Saturday morning/USFS

A wildfire complex south and west of Sequoia National Park forced closure on Monday of a section of the Generals Highway in the park.

The section running from Highway 198 in Three Rivers, through the Ash Mountain Entrance Station, to the Giant Forest Museum closed at 6 a.m. local time Monday. No reopening date was announced.

The SQF Complex, composed of the Castle and Shotgun fires that were sparked by lightning on August 24, covered more than 89,000 acres Monday morning and was 12 percent contained. Both fires are located in the Sequoia National Forest. The majority of the Castle Fire is in the Sequoia National Forest, but it is also burning in the Inyo National Forest. 

Low relative humidity levels and warm temperatures were expected to contribute to extreme fire activity Monday, a fire incident report stated. The northern edge of the fire could begin to impact Sequoia National Park.

Visitors can reach Sequoia National Park by heading for the Big Stump Entrance Station on Highway 180 from Fresno.

"Our No. 1 priority is public and employee safety. It is crucial to take care of our staff and our gateway community of Three Rivers," said 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 number of visitors there."

Along with closing that section of the Generals Highway, the park also announced closure of the Potwisha Campground. All reservations were to be canceled and refunded, a park release said.

While the Giant Forest was expected to remain open, including access to the General Sherman Tree, the Crescent Meadow Road, which provides access to Tunnel Log, Tharp's Log, and Moro Rock, were closed. Also closed was public access to the Mineral King Road.