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National Forest Closed in Area of the 11,000-Acre Basin Fire Northeast of Fresno
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 1 year ago on
June 30, 2024

The Basin Fire, which started on Wednesday, June 26, and has expanded to 11,047 acres with 0% containment, has prompted the Sierra National Forest to close the forest in the area of the wildfire. until July 30. (Twitter/firevalleyphoto)

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Sierra National Forest officials ordered the close of the forest in the area of the Basin Fire on Sunday morning.

The closure order, which will stand through July 30, came as nearly 700 personnel worked to slow the growth of the wildfire northeast of Fresno. Click https://www.fs.usda.gov/sierra for the forest order and area map.

Forestry officials said Sunday morning that the fire is 11,047 acres with 0% containment.

“Additional personnel and equipment are continuing to arrive daily to support firefighting operations,” the Forest Service said in a news release.

“Structure protection crews are working on the Balch Camp area to protect energy infrastructure and bulldozers are continuing their work constructing a fuel break to the west and northwest of the fire. Hot show crews will be inserted on the northern edge of the fire near Rodger’s Ridge and will be supported by aircraft.

“The southern perimeter of the fire is holding north of the South Fork of the Kings River.”

There were 697 personnel, 11 crews, 43 engines and 12 helicopters assigned to the fire as of Sunday morning, officials said.

Basin Fire 2024
A bulldozer works the Basin Fire, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Facebook/US Forest Service)

Grass Burning in the Scar of 2015’s Rough Fire

Officials said the fire is primarily burning in dry dense grass within the Rough Fire scar from 2015.

“While there was some growth along the northwest and eastern edges of the fire yesterday, the rate of growth is slowing,” authorities said.

The Sierra National Forest has ordered new temporary fire restrictions prohibiting campfires, welding, and smoking in non-developed campsites. Visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sierra/alerts-notices for full details of the fire restrictions and forest Order.

Basin Fire Map
(Sierra National Forest)

Mandatory Evacuation Orders

There is a mandatory evacuation order for Fresno County zones  KK30, K29, K73 north and K75 south of Elwood.

There is an evacuation warning for Fresno County zones: K72, K73 south, K75 north of Elwood, K 93 and K 134..

Please check the Fresno County Evacuation map: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e7d6006a016a444db8b210ac4d2eb5cf

Road Closures

Road closure signs have been placed on the perimeter of the fire.  The public should review which roads are closed before traveling into the area because no one will be allowed to enter zones under evacuation warnings. To access websites showing both evacuation orders, road closures and many other emergency resources, visit: http://www.fresnocountyemergency.com

Visit AirNow to find out the Air Quality Index in your area. As smoke gets worse, the amount of particles in the air changes — and so do the steps you should take to protect yourself.

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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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