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Growing KNP Complex Fires Threaten Iconic Sequoias, Town of Three Rivers
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 3 years ago on
September 14, 2021

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Update: 11:54 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 14: Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux is issued mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Three Rivers.

The orders cover Mineral King Drive up to the Sequoia National Park boundary, including structures along both sides of Highway 198. The orders also include Oak Grove Bridge down to Highway 198, including Sierra King Drive, Crest Lane, Hammond Drive,  and Oak Grove Drive. However, Dinely Drive is excluded.

(Original story)

Fires threatening Sequoia National Park’s iconic trees continue to grow while 130 firefighters battle to bring the blazes under control.

The KNP Complex fires began overnight Thursday with a lightning strike. On Monday night, the Paradise Fire ran downhill and crossed the middle fork of the Kaweah River and the Generals Highway, park officials said Tuesday morning.

The part of Three Rivers east of the intersection of Highway 198 and North Fork Road is under a voluntary evacuation warning from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. However, the evacuation warning area doesn’t extend to residences on North Fork or South Fork roads, officials said. There is a mandatory evacuation order for Mineral King south of the park.

The fires ignited one year after the Castle Fire forced many residents to flee Tulare County’s foothills.

No Imminent Threat to Giant Forest

Both fires were projected to advance in the direction of Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 giant sequoias including the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume.

“There’s no imminent threat to Giant Forest but that is a potential,” said Mark Ruggiero, fire information officer for Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. He estimated that the closest flames were about a mile from the grove.

Part of the Castle Fire destroyed 10% of the sequoias, Ruggiero said.

Ash Mountain Headquarters Evacuated

Because of the increasing danger, the park is evacuating employees from its Ash Mountain Headquarters and nearby housing.

Officials said that fires have scorched a total of 3,024 acres, with the Paradise Fire accounting for 2,531 acres and the Colony Fire 493 acres. There is zero containment thus far.

Monday’s aerial suppression efforts were hindered by poor visibility created by the smoky condition, officials said.

A community meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Three Rivers Memorial Building, 43490 Sierra Dr. The meeting will be live-streamed on the Sequoia-Kings Canyon parks Facebook page, and will be available later there for viewing.

(Associated Press contributed to this article.)

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Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

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