The Wilsonia Times - October 4, 2021 KNP Fire Update

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Wilsonia Times: The Official Newsletter of Wilsonia Village Inc.

Volume 21 - SPECIAL EDITION - October 4, 2021

KNP Complex: Important Fire Update

In the last few days, the fire advanced past the North Fork of the Kaweah River and into Eshom Valley to the northwest and below Redwood Canyon to the north. Firefighting crews have been setting tactical firing operations to do a controlled burnout of fuels in the path of the fire. This is a common firefighting strategy: when the active wildfire meets the burnout areas, the fire will slow down or stop. These tactical burns were initiated on the downhill, west side of the Generals Highway in the area between Quail Flat and Big Baldy trailhead. These operations continued yesterday and now include areas west of Quail Flat to Redwood Canyon overlook, and south along the control lines constructed along Big Baldy ridge to the west of Montecito Sequoia.

However, today was a very aggressive day for the fire. The northern flank advanced up Redwood Canyon and met the backfire set two nights ago. The fire has grown by nearly 9000 acres since last night.

The fire edge is now at the Generals Highway at approximately 1 mile east of the Wye. It has also crossed over the highway east of Park Ridge and progressed as far north as Log Corral Meadow.

Hotshot crews and structural strike teams are in Wilsonia to defend our cabins. Let's all send up a collective prayer and positive thoughts for the safety of firefighters and for the protection of Wilsonia!

If you have questions for the WVI Board, just reply to this email.

Current map of the fire, approximately 1 mile east of the Wye on the General's Highway.

Map showing merged fires and the movement north of the Generals Highway

Fire progression map showing the latest outbreak to the east of the Wye on the Generals Highway

Fire progression map showing the growth of the fire as of this morning in red.
The previous days are in red-orange and orange.

Follow Inciweb for the latest updates on the KNP Complex.

Additional Information

We will send additional special editions of the Wilsonia Times when there are major developments relevant to Wilsonia, including when the evacuation order is lifted. If you've missed any issues of the Wilsonia Times, you can catch up at wilsoniatimes.com.

For more frequent updates, check the Wilsonia Village Facebook page. We are constantly watching the latest information on the fire and will highlight the news that is most relevant to Wilsonia. The page is currently updated multiple times per day. You can view the page even if you are not a Facebook user. (Please note that Facebook has been experiencing outages around the world today; if you have difficulty accessing the page, please try again later.)

For the latest updates on the KNP complex and other fires, watch the InciWeb- Incident Information System 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.

Because many park personnel who typically update the websites have been evacuated, the NPS recommends following their social media accounts for the latest information. The NPS is frequently updating the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Facebook page and Twitter. They have been livestreaming their daily morning briefings and periodic community meetings to the Facebook 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. You can also subscribe to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks fire information email list by texting KNP to 22828, and following the prompts.

Air quality conditions in Wilsonia have been in the unhealthy to hazardous range. To monitor air quality in Wilsonia, visit fire.airnow.gov and search for Kings Canyon National Park. There is a sensor set up near the Visitor Center on Hilltop Road that is visible on this map.

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

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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