Trail to Kern Canyon Ranger Station Re-Opened: Status: Grouse Fire Still at 67-Percent Containment.
By GLEN FAISON, The Porterville Recorder, Calif.
Sep. 13–SPRINGVILLE — The lightning-caused Grouse Fire was holding Wednesday at 1,022 acres and is 67-percent contained, prompting officials to re-open the trail to the Kern Canyon Ranger Station.
The backcountry fire is located in the Golden Trout Wilderness near Grasshopper Flat along the Kern River in the Sequoia National Forest.
“Thanks to fire suppression efforts and sparse vegetation on the east side of the fire, chances of it spreading toward the Kern River, have been significantly reduced allowing the Forest Service to reopen Trail 33E01,” Forest Service spokeswoman Denise Alonzo said in a prepared statement. “This popular trail runs from Willow Meadow to the wilderness boundary near the Kern Canyon Guard Station in neighboring Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.”
The Grouse Fire was one of four fires ignited by a lightning storm that passed through the southern Sierra Nevada beginning the afternoon of Aug. 27, and quickly became the largest of the four.
More than 150 lightning strikes were recorded.
Forest Service fire lookouts watched the storm come through the area and then monitored the mountains with binoculars to see if any fires were started by the lightning strikes.
Fire crews were quickly sent in to try to contain the fire as it moved through the landscape.
An aggressive firefighting effort ensued, one that saw crews actively working through last week to contain the fire.
Alonzo said firefighters are continuing their efforts to extinguish the fire, although those efforts have shifted from direct to indirect methods.
“The fire is currently unstaffed and is being monitored regularly by aircraft in the area,” Alonzo said. “The northern boundary of the fire is in steep, rocky terrain and will not be lined by a fire break. Firefighters have constructed hand line on the south and west flanks to secure the fire’s perimeter.”
Due to the fire’s likelihood to spread toward other nearby backcountry trails, she said some trails continue to be closed for public safety until the fire can be declared out or is deemed safe for travel. The temporary trail-closure order includes:
Trail 32E06 from its junction with Trail 32E02 near Round Meadow to Trail 32E0.
Trail 32E05 from Lion Meadows to the wilderness boundary near Coyote Peaks.
Visitors to the Golden Trout Wilderness should check with the Sequoia National Forest before traveling in the backcountry areas. For the latest information, call the Springville Ranger Station at 539-2607.
Contact Glen Faison at 784-5000, Ext. 1040, or gfaison@portervillerecorder.com.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Porterville Recorder, Calif.
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