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Wilsonia Times: The Official Newsletter of Wilsonia Village Inc.
Volume 21 - SPECIAL EDITION - September 15, 2021
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Editor's Note
This is a special edition of the Wilsonia Times to provide information about the KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park.

Wilsonia is not currently at risk and is not subject to an evacuation warning. This edition is just to let you know what’s going on, and what sites to monitor if you want to be informed of the latest developments for this or other wildfires.

We will send out another special edition if the conditions change so as to impact Wilsonia, including if there is an evacuation warning or limitations on accessing the village. Follow the Wilsonia Village Facebook page for frequent updates of this event and other Wilsonia news.
Two plumes of smoke rise above the mountains, obscuring the sun at the top of the photograph.
Panorama photo of the Paradise Fire and Colony Fire from September 13.
Photo credit: Inciweb.
A map of Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, showing the location of the Colony and Paradise Fires, both located to the southeast of Wilsonia within Sequoia NP. Wilsonia is at the top left of the image.
Most recent NPS map of the KNP Complex Fire from 6pm on September 14.
Wilsonia is located within the Grant Grove box (in green in the upper left)
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KNP Complex Fire Closes Sequoia Park
copied from inciweb.nwgc.gov

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. September 15, 2021 – The KNP Complex, ignited by lightning on the night of September 9, grew significantly yesterday. The complex is comprised of the Paradise Fire and the Colony Fire. Sequoia National Park is closed to the public, and employees that reside inside the park have been evacuated. Kings Canyon National Park remains open, but serious air quality impacts are possible. The Paradise Fire has a new acreage of 5,914 acres, and the Colony Fire has a new acreage of 1,125 acres, for a combined total for the KNP Complex of 7,039, with 0% containment. These acreages may be updated throughout the day and will be posted on Inciweb.

Update from 7pm: The Paradise Fire is currently measured at 7,257 acres. The acreage for the Colony Fire is currently measured at 1,683. Combined acreage is 8,940.

Evacuations

The Paradise Fire has grown to the west, prompting Tulare County Sheriff to issue a mandatory evacuation order for part of the community of Three Rivers. The area of Three Rivers under mandatory evacuation is the Mineral King Road in its entirety, areas along Sierra King Drive, Crest Lane, Hammond Drive, and Oak Grove Drive, and areas along Highway 198 from the intersection with Mineral King Road to the Sequoia National Park entrance station.
 
The remainder of the community of Three Rivers is under evacuation warning. The evacuation warning is not an order. It means that residents should prepare for the possibility of evacuation, so that they will be ready to mobilize and leave should the evacuation warning escalate to an evacuation order. Explore a map of the areas under evacuation warning and order, as well as other evacuation resources, at tularecounty.ca.gov/emergencies/.
 
Fire Management

The parks’ fire management operation will transition with a Southern-area Blue Type 1 National Incident Management Team tomorrow. Type 1 teams are equipped to handle the largest and highest-complexity emergency situations. Future community meetings will be scheduled when the team is in place.
 
The KNP Complex has been a full suppression incident since the discovery of the smokes the morning following the lightning storm. In the case of the Paradise Fire, extremely steep topography and a total lack of access has prevented any ground crew operations, and in the case of the Colony Fire, only a limited amount of ground crew access has been possible. Both fires are utilizing extensive aerial resources performing water and retardant drops.
 
Air Quality

Air quality is seriously affected in Three Rivers. Particulate matter readings have been in the “hazardous” range for much of the day. Communities further from the parks are also feeling air quality impacts. Track your local air quality at www.fire.airnow.gov.
 
Photo of a road with a burning hillside above and behind it. The sky is a hazy orange color.
Paradise Fire from morning of 9-14-2021
Image credit: Inciweb.
A plane flies over a hillside,spraying red fire retardant over the trees. The plane is flying into a plume of smoke to the right of the image.
Retardant Being Dropped on Colony Fire 9-10-2021
Image credit: Inciweb
The air quality monitoring station set up near the Grant Grove visitor center. It's about eight feet high, set up on a tripod, with multiple sensors attached.
A screenshot of the air quality from the weather station as of 2pm on Sept 15, showing an AQI of 193 (Unhealthy).
Air Quality Monitoring


There are several apps and sites to access air quality information. The AQI reading can vary greatly depending on the location of the sensor and the time of the reading. A sensor a few miles away from Wilsonia can give a wildly inaccurate reading of conditions in the village.
The NPS has set up a monitor (shown in photo) behind the Visitor Center on Hilltop Road. The readings from that can be accessed here. Enable locations and/or search for Grant Grove.

Additional Information
some of these links are also found in the articles above

 
For the latest updates on the KNP complex and other fires, watch the and CalFIRE incidents pages.

To sign up for emergency alerts and to view evacuation information, visit the Tulare County's Office of Emergency Services page.

For information and news from our local National Park and National Forest, visit the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Forest websites.

The NPS is also frequently updating the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Facebook page and Twitter. They have been livestreaming their periodic community meetings to the Facebook page.


As a reminder, here's what you need to know to be prepared for an evacuation. Wilsonia is not under an evacuation order at this time, but we are in a high fire area, and times like these are a good reminder to brush up on your fire preparedness.

Air quality conditions in Wilsonia are currently poor and may get worse. Combining that with the high altitude, stress, and any preexisting medical conditions... it may be difficult to breathe. If you're going to be in Wilsonia in the next few days, take it easy, and limit outdoor exercise. You may also want to wear a mask while outdoors to protect yourself from smoke in the air. Check out this guide from the EPA on what kind of masks to wear for wildfire smoke, and some specialized CDC guide on dealing with wildfire smoke in the time of COVID.

If you are looking for a tangible way to support our firefighting crews, they have previously asked for donations to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which helps families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and assists injured firefighters and their families.

Finally, we'll keep updating the Wilsonia Village Facebook page with information relevant to Wilsonia. And if you've missed any issues of the Wilsonia Times, you can catch up at wilsoniatimes.com.

Fire restrictions for Wilsonia

Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks is still in Stage 3 Fire Restrictions. Fires are currently prohibited within the parks, including in Wilsonia. Campfires, wood-burning stoves, charcoal barbecues, and outdoor smoking are all prohibited in Wilsonia at this time. Gas grills are still permitted. For more details on the restrictions, visit the park’s fire restrictions page.
We know it has been inconvenient, but Wilsonians have been excellent at following these restrictions since June. Thanks to all for working together to keep Wilsonia safe in this year of extreme fire danger.
Please continue to observe these temporary restrictions, so as to help with the local air quality and to possibly prevent yet another wildfire.

The Wilsonia Times is the official newsletter of Wilsonia Village Inc.
Editor: Neal Mixter
Visit wilsoniatimes.com to read past issues.
Questions about the Wilsonia Times? Email us at wilsoniatimes@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2021 Wilsonia Village Inc, All rights reserved.


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