Tehipite Fire Continues Slow Growth to 9,406 Acres
Incident: Tehipite Wildland Fire
Released: 9/20/2008
The interagency Tehipite Fire has grown to 9,406 acres as of 0800 on Friday, September 19, 2008. Of this, 3,693 acres are within Kings Canyon National Park and 5,713 acres are within the Sierra National Forest. The fire is showing a slow, creeping groundfire that is cleaning up dead and downed fuels on the forest floor.
The Tehipite Fire is located in Tehipite Valley and the cliffs north of the valley in Kings Canyon National Park and is moving north and west in the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest. It is burning in old growth mixed conifer, red fir, lodgepole pine, and live oak between 4,000 - 9,000 feet in elevation in steep cliffs and rugged terrain. This wilderness fire was started by lightning on or around July 14.
Firefighters are monitoring fire behavior and growth. Steep, rugged, and inaccessible terrain continue to be a safety issue for firefighters. There are no immediate threats to life or property. Firefighters on the Sierra National Forest are taking steps to protect the Johnson Meadow cabins and the Crown Valley Guard Station. Fire has moved through the Deer Meadow area and the cabin was successfully protected.
Trails within the fire perimeter on the Sierra National Forest and Kings Canyon National Park are closed as a safety measure due to the Tehipite Fire:
·· Sierra NF trail 29E30 (Blue Canyon Trail) from the intersection with 29E06 (Crown Valley Trail) to the national park boundary. The Blue Canyon Trail closure continues in Kings Canyon National Park until the trail terminus.
·· Sierra NF trail 29E45 (Tehipite Trail) from the intersection with 29E06 (Crown Valley Trail) to the national park boundary. This closure continues in Kings Canyon National Park from the boundary to Simpson Meadow.
·· 29E31 (Coyote Pass Trail) from the intersection with 29E06 (Crown Valley Trail) to end of trail at Mountain Meadow
To view the fire, visit http://sierrafire.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/swfrs display webcam lm.pl camera=buck rock 1.
