Sequoia National Forest Fire Burns 25,000 Acres; Homes Threatened

A rapidly expanding wildfire has torched more than 25,000 acres in the Sequoia National Forest, threatening homes and forcing residents to evacuate.

With low humidity and blustery winds of up to 15 mph, the blaze doubled in size in 24 hours, said Doug Johnston, a Kern County fire engineer.

“It was a very volatile day, as they say on Wall Street,” Johnston said.

The fire, which was 35% contained Thursday, was only 29% contained Friday, he said.

About 730 firefighters tackled the blaze overnight, and four suffered minor injuries, Johnston said.

Higher humidity and cooler temperatures overnight Friday were expected to help firefighting efforts, he said.

About 200 homes, including 125 vacation cabins, in Kennedy Meadows, Chimney Peak and Long Valley were abandoned, and more than 100 residents fled.

“This fire has shown extreme behavior,” said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Tony Diffenbaugh.

Leona Hansen, who owns a general store in Kennedy Meadows, said she and the other approximately 50 residents were told to evacuate Thursday night.

“I’m very nervous,” Hansen told the Bakersfield Californian. “We’ve got four horses, a 33-foot RV, a log cabin and the store.”

Flames flickered just two miles from some homes, and sheriff’s deputies went door-to-door asking residents to pack up and leave.

Red Cross workers awaited evacuees at a temporary shelter at James Monroe Junior High School in Ridgecrest, but none had taken advantage of it by Friday morning.

The fire also burned timber and brush in the Domeland Wilderness, about 75 miles northeast of Bakersfield. More than 700 firefighters were brought in to fight the blaze, and investigators could not immediately say what started it.

Firefighters continued to battle two other blazes that consumed thousands of acres in the state.

In Los Padres National Forest, about 1,378 firefighters and support personnel, 13 air tankers and three helicopters fought a 3,000-acre fire, said Joe Pasinato, a Forest Service spokesman.

The fire was 65% contained Friday.

A man trying to light his recreational vehicle’s water heater with a burning piece of paper ignited the wildfire, Pasinato said.

Meanwhile, the so-called Happy fire was 85% contained after consuming 5,700 acres in the Panamint mountain range near Death Valley. An abandoned mining cabin was burned, but no other structures were lost.

The fire, 20 miles north of Trona, should be contained by Monday, said Doran Sanchez, a spokesman with the Bureau of Land Management. Firefighters labored Thursday in scorching winds and heat that reached 115 degrees. Some worked 24-hour shifts to take advantage of cooler nighttime temperatures.

The Morgan fire in Lake County burned 3,300 acres before being brought under control Thursday evening. The cost of fighting the blaze is expected to reach $1.2 million before it is completely controlled this evening, according to forestry department spokeswoman Nancy Carnitlia.

In Siskiyou County, about 1,200 firefighters fought the Bark fire, which burned 1,715 acres about 15 miles west of Yreka before it was contained.