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Efforts to complete work on Windy Fire continues
Release Date:
Contact(s): Denise Alonze
On September 9, 2021 the Windy Fire was ignited by lightning on the Tule River Indian Reservation. It spread into Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia National Forest, including eleven giant sequoia groves. Command of the fire was returned to the local units this week, with over 200 fire personnel still assigned. The fire remains at 97,528 acres and is 92% contained.
The small section of uncontained fire perimeter located north of Cold Springs Creek and south of the Tule River Indian Reservation is being monitored by air. This edge of the fire is in a very rugged, remote spot, too hazardous for fire personnel to construct fireline. Aircraft and fire personnel will respond quickly if a flare-up occurs. Land managers do not expect this portion of the fire to be fully contained until winter weather arrives, extinguishing remaining hot spots.
Fire suppression repair work continues, a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression activities. This work normally begins before the fire is contained. Priorities include repair of hand and dozer fire lines, roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points used during fire suppression efforts.
Additional assessments were done by the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team. An effort to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. Coordination between the BAER team and local personnel is ongoing. Information about this effort can be found on Inciweb. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7866/
Forest Service managed land burned in the Windy Fire remain closed under a Forest area closure https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sequoia/alerts-notices Closed roads include Western Divide Highway (M107) near Ponderosa, M99 at Lloyd Meadow Road, and Parker Pass (M50) at Parker Meadow above California Hot Springs. Fire hazards (fire killed trees, burned stumps and root systems, rolling material) continue to pose an immediate threat, keeping the area closed until further notice.
The latest Windy Fire information can be found on Inciweb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7841/.