Sequoia National Park in California Closes Due to Massive Wildfire, Administration Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Sequoia National Park in the US state of California, known for its giant sequoias, has been closed to visitors due to a major wildfire outbreak that prompted the evacuation of its employees, the park administration said on 16 September.

The fire started on 9 September after a lightning strike, and soon broke off into two separate areas - the Paradise and the Colony fires - which currently cover the territory of a total of 7,039 acres (26 square kilometers), the park said.

The #ColonyFire (left) and the #ParadiseFire (right), also referred to as the #KNPComplex, flared up in Sequoia National Park today.

These fires started on Sep. 9 due to the significant lightning event.#ColonyFire - 230 acres with 0%#ParadiseFire - 807 acres with 0% pic.twitter.com/dgFSv20p7W

— Holt Hanley (@HoltHanley) September 13, 2021

#KNPComplex - Air Attack 17

📍 Sequoia & Kings National Park
The Complex is made up of three fires: #ColonyFire #ParadiseFire #CabinFire pic.twitter.com/bbs1GIyEuG

— SoCal Air Operations (@SocalAirOps) September 13, 2021

"The KNP Complex [wildfire], ignited by lightning on the night of September 9, grew significantly yesterday. The complex is comprised of the Paradise Fire and the Colony Fire. Sequoia National Park is closed to the public, and employees that reside inside the park have been evacuated," the park administration stated.

The wildfire is now threatening to spread to the area where giant sequoias grow. The adjacent Kings Canyon National Park remains open, but the air quality has likely deteriorated, according to the administration.

Sequoia National Park's Giant Trees At Risk As Wildfires Grow: Fire crews moved to ramp up the battle against two expanding fires threatening Sequoia National Park’s giant sequoia trees and infrastructure. https://t.co/3WFyxBMnBL pic.twitter.com/K890FnRMUZ

— #SaveAYear (@saveayear) September 16, 2021

Fresh reports from the area indicate that firefighters are still struggling to contain the fires as the difficult terrain limit access to the affected areas.