Tehipite Fire Crosses Park Boundary
Incident: Tehipite Wildland Fire
Released: 9/3/2008
The Tehipite Fire has grown to 1,603 acres and, as anticipated, crossed over the Kings Canyon National Park boundary and onto the Sierra National Forest. Approximately ten acres of the fire is on forest land.
The park and the forest are now working in unified command with shared objectives and goals to manage the fire.
The fire behavior includes creeping and smoldering with occasional pockets of torching-fire behavior typical in the mid-elevations of the Sierra Nevada.
The Tehipite Fire is located in Tehipite Valley and the cliffs north and west of the valley in Kings Canyon National Park and the John Muir Wilderness in the Sierra National Forest. It is burning in old growth mixed conifer, red fir, and live oak between 4,000 - 8,000 feet in elevation in steep bluffs and cliffs. This wilderness fire started by lightning on or around July 14.
The fire is being monitored by two firefighters near the fire, by fire look-outs at Buck Rock, by viewing the Buck Rock web cam, and by periodic helicopter flights. Steep, inaccessible terrain presents safety concerns for firefighters.
At times, visitors and residents may see limited smoke from this fire. Impacts from smoke are limited to the backcountry at this time.
There are no immediate threats to life or property. Firefighters on the Sierra are taking steps to protect the Dear Meadow cabin. As a safety measure:
- The trail between Simpson Meadow and the park boundary remains closed
- The Blue Canyon Trail is closed at the park boundary
Lightning fires have spread through the Sierra Nevada wilderness for thousands of years and, in this case, demonstrate that fire behavior and growth are influenced by fuels, topography, and weather and not by man-made boundaries.
Visit http://sierrafire.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/swfrs display webcam lm.pl camera=buck rock 1 to view the fire.
-- www.nps.gov/seki/fire/fireinfo/current.htm
