Sierra - Horse Creek Fire Update - July 25, 2018

The following is from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park:

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks News Release

For Immediate Release
Fire Information Updates: (559) 565-3704
E-mail: seki_fire_info@nps.gov
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 Horse Creek Fire Update (July 25, 2018)

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. July 25, 2018, 8:30 a.m. – The Horse Creek Fire in the John Krebs Wilderness Area of Sequoia National Park remains at 30 acres in size and is 50% contained. Containment lines have been completed around the perimeter of the fire. Crews will continue to strengthen and secure the line to increase containment throughout the day while also mopping up hot spots. Residents and visitors on Mineral King Road can expect to see isolated smokes inside the containment lines for at least the next few days.

Helicopters will continue to be used today to shuttle crews and supplies to the remote fire location, as well as to provide water drops to assist with extinguishing hot spots. While the threat of thunderstorms still exists, a predicted stable air mass over the area will continue to decrease this threat over the fire area.

The Mineral King Valley remains under a Fire Advisory. Due to the increased amount of fire personnel traffic on the Mineral King Road:

• Effective Friday, July 27, the park will begin issuing wilderness permits for Mineral King trails that remain open. Permits can be picked up as early as 1:00 p.m. the day before entry. A limited number of walk-up permits will be available.
• The Atwell-Hockett Trail and the Tar Gap Trail remain closed.
• Mineral King Campgrounds remain open but could close with little notice based on changes in fire behavior, smoke, and air quality.

For questions about wilderness permits, please call (559) 565-3766 or e-mail seki_wilderness_office@nps.gov.

At this time neither the road nor any structures are directly threatened by the fire, and the road remains open. However, visitors are strongly encouraged to consider recreation options other than Mineral King in order to minimize traffic on the road.

Tulare County offers a free automated alert service that issues notices of unsafe conditions and warnings to residents on the platform of their choice (e.g., SMS, email, landline). To sign up, visit https://alerttc.com/

For more information on the Horse Creek Fire, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5984/.

 - NPS -

About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks' Fire Management Program

For fifty years, our mission has been to use the full range of options and strategies available to manage fire in the parks. This includes protecting park resources, employees, and the public from unwanted fire; building and maintaining fire resilient ecosystems; reducing the threat to local communities from wildfires emanating from the parks or adjacent lands; and recruiting, training, and retaining a professional fire management workforce.