As of 7 p.m. Saturday, the Coffee Pot Fire in Tulare County had grown to 10,164 acres with 13% containment, incident managers said.

It is believed that lightning caused the wildfire, which began at 10 a.m. on Aug. 3 southeast of Three Rivers.

There are 1,459 personnel assigned to the blaze.

Mineral King Closed

On Friday, recreational access to the Mineral King area of Sequoia National Park was closed to the public. The closure applies to Mineral King campgrounds, trailheads, and area trails. All other areas of the parks will remain open through the holiday weekend but are likely to be impacted by varying levels of smoke and poor air quality.

Visit the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Official site for more information.

77% of Primary Control Lines Built

Wildfire managers said Saturday that 77% percent of the primary control lines are built, and crews continue to improve and hold direct control lines.

As expected, the fire moved through the Bennett Creek drainage basin and reached the perimeter of primary control lines along the Bennett Creek ridge to the west and along the South Fork Kaweah River to the south. The direct control line along the South Fork Kaweah River is holding, and water-dropping helicopters worked to directly control fire that moved just over Scratch Creek on the southeast flank.

In addition, a spot fire near Case Mountain was identified and contained with hoses and dozer lines. Fire crews used drones for a strategic firing operation in Nutmeg Grove. This was a defensive operation to protect the grove from a potential high-intensity upfill run of fire.

On the northern flank, water drops from aircraft were used to slow the rate of fire spread as it backed down toward the East Fork Kaweah River. Overnight, crews continued strategic firing operations along the northwest dozer line toward Case Mountain Road. The widening of the indirect control line along Mineral King Road is nearly complete. To the east, the Fire Use Modules continued constructing indirect control lines north toward Horse Creek and Mineral King Road. Crews continued monitoring fire activity in the Eden Creek Grove of giant sequoias.

Evacuations

Evacuation ORDER remains in place for zone

• TLC-E094-D  **NEW Order**
• TLC-E094-B
• TLC-E128-B

Evacuation WARNING remains in place for zones

• TLC-E095  **NEW Warning**
• TLC-E128-A 
• TLC-E127-B

For more information on evacuations, alert notifications, and zone information, visit tularecounty.ca.gov/emergencies.

Know Your Zone: To find out what zone you’re in visit https//protect.enasys.com You can also download the app.

BLM and Park Closures 

The portion of South Fork Drive within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and trails accessed from the road, including the Lady Bug and Garfield Grove Trails, are closed. Park closure.

The Bureau of Land Management has also issued a closure of the Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area at blm.gov/press-release.

Highway and Road Impacts

Highway 198, Mineral King Road, and Generals Highway in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are open. Due to heavy equipment and personnel working on Mineral King Road, expect 30-minute delays or longer. Please plan accordingly. Additional law enforcement will be patrolling the area through the holiday weekend. Visitors should exercise extreme caution, stay alert, and drive slowly to keep themselves and fire crews safe.