Containment lines hold in Windy Fire
Fire crews spent Monday patrolling and monitoring the Windy Fire containment lines to ensure they would hold against possible strong winds on Monday.
“Predicted gusts exceeding 45 miles per hour did not occur near the fire area,” officials stated. “Wind-driven dust created significant haze across the fire and in mountain foothills; this contributed to lower wind speeds on the ground in the fire area. Heavier fuels remaining in timbered stands and smoldering vegetation left from past fires continued burning at low intensity.”
As of Tuesday morning the Windy Fire in the Tule River Indian Reservation and Sequoia National Forest remained at 97,555 acres and at 88 percent containment.
“On the northern flank, firefighters will continue removing hazard trees and extinguishing isolated areas of heat,” officials stated.
Officials also stated they were preparing for the lifting of evacuation orders in the Sugarloaf communities. “On the eastern perimeter, firefighters aim to prevent fire growth into the Kern River Valley,” officials stated. “On the western side, resource advisors will accompany crews that are cleaning up and reinforcing perimeter lines. In the Sequoia groves, firefighters will continue efforts to prevent further fire damage.”
The conditions were dry and cool overnight on Monday. Dry and warmer temperatures were expected for the rest of the week with low humidity as the winds from the northwest were expected to subside on Tuesday.
Residents requesting information on the status of their property can call the Tulare County Information Hotline
at (559) 802-9790. Affected property owners should complete the September Lightning Fire Information Form online at: https://bit.ly/3etdzji. Residents can sign up to receive county emergency notifications by registering at Alerttc.com.
Because evacuation orders and warnings change often as fire containment grows, evacuees should refer to the Windy Fire Evacuation Warning Map at https://tularecounty. ca.gov/emergencies/ or call 211 for the latest information. Evacuation updates can be found on Inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7841 or Facebook https://www.facebook. com/sequoianf/.
Evacuation orders are in effect in the following areas: White River Summer Home Tract, Sugarloaf Saw Mill, Sugarloaf Mountain Park; Mountain Aire and Rogers Camp; Johnsondale and Camp Whitsett, including M107 at Dome Rock, east to Lloyd Meadow Road (Forest Service Road 22S82), south to M99 at Sherman Pass Road, and west to M107 and M50. A roadblock prevents access to M99 and R Ranch and M50 and M107.
All roads within the Windy fire perimeter are closed, including Parker Pass (M50) between Johnsondale and California Hot Springs and the Western Divide Highway (M107) South of Ponderosa to the M50 Junction
Evacuation warnings are in effect for the following roads and areas:
The Mcnallys area (Sherman Pass Road to Corral Creek, the community of R Ranch, structures, Forest Service roads, dirt roads, access roads, attached roads, and campgrounds).
Both sides of the Kern River from the Goldledge Campground south to Riverkern, Tulare County, and at the Tulare/kern border. The warning includes all private properties, businesses, residences, structures, campsites, campgrounds, Forest Service roads, access roads, attached roads, and trails.
Alpine Village, Camp Nelson, Cedar Slope, Coy Flat, Pierpoint, Quaking Aspen, Ponderosa, and Sequoia Crest.
Sugarloaf Village, Panorama Heights, Poso Park, Idlewild, Pleasant View, Balance Rock, Posey, and Vincent Ranch. The boundaries are from Sugarloaf Peak west to Buck Peak; south to Vincent Ranch at the Tulare/ Kern County line; east to Forest Service Road 24S07; and north to Sugarloaf Peak.
California Hot Springs and Pine Flat areas.
Updates on road closures can be found on Inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7841 and Facebook https://www.facebook. com/sequoianf/.
As far as Sequoia National Forest the west side is closed on M50 where it reaches the forest boundary near California Hot Springs.
Other closed areas include the southern edge that ties in with the northern perimeter of the French Fire closed area near White River. And the northern edge that ties in with the Castle Fire closed area near Ponderosa. M 99, coming from Kernville, is closed near Johnsondale Bridge. A full description and map can be found on Inciweb.