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The Windy Fire burning on the Tule River Indian Reservation and in Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia National Forest has grown to 2,202 acres with 0% containment. The Windy Fire continues to slowly burn towards the southeast, reaching Summit Trail and Onion Meadow Peak. The inversion layer moderated fire behavior yesterday, and is expected to continue today. Air operations are continuously monitoring fire conditions and weather, looking for opportunities to fly and support firefighters on the ground.

Firefighters have established a fire perimeter line around the Crawford Fire, a separate fire burning nearby, and are monitoring it. Both fires were determined to be caused by lightning. Over the last 24 hours, firefighters and equipment have been added to aid in firefighting efforts. There are 526 personnel currently assigned to the incident.

At this time, the fire is located east of BIA 212 Road on the Tule River Indian Reservation, south of Windy Creek and Crawford Creek, west of Summit Trail and Onion Meadow Peak on the Sequoia National Forest, and north of Cedar Creek. We expect the weather to continue to be in the mid-‘80s in the upper elevation with 18-22% minimal relative humidity and afternoon topography-driven winds of 6-8 mph with gusts of 12 mph. These conditions will continue to dry out fuels and increase the probability of ignition. Smoke may continue to be an issue in the region.

The fire burned into a portion of the Peyrone Sequoia Grove, fire behavior in this area has been observed to be low in intensity. Due to inaccessible terrain, a preliminary assessment of the fires effects on giant sequoia trees within the grove will be difficult, but is expected in the coming days.

Tule River Indian Reservation residents and those in and near the communities of Johnsondale, Camp Nelson and Ponderosa are asked to continue monitoring the progress of this fire. Tulare County residents can receive county emergency notifications by registering at AlertTC.com.

Forest Closure in Effect 
The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region has announced a lift to closures of eighteen National Forests. This includes the Sequoia National Forest except for the newly released Windy Fire and other fire closed areas. Closure Order 0513-21-28 will be effective September 16 through December 31, 2021.