• Size: 11,625 acres
• Cause: Lightning
• Email: 2024.coffeepot.ca@firenet.gov
• Incident Website: inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/caknp coffeepot-fire
• Start Date: Monday, August 3, 2024, at 10:05 AM
• Percent Contained: 13%
• Personnel: 1369

CONTENT PROVIDED BY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM

NOTE: We have edited the content to exclude information that is pertinent to social media users only. Additions by the Three Rivers Together team are in brackets.

COFFEE POT FIRE PUBLIC MEETING: A public meeting about the Coffee Pot Fire will be held on Tuesday, September 3, at 6:00 PM at the Three Rivers Memorial Building: 43490 Sierra Drive, Three Rivers. Those unable to attend can watch the meeting live on the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ YouTube channel at @sequoiaandkingscanyonnps5018.

EVACUATION NOTICES: The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office has issued two new Evacuation ORDERS due to current fire conditions for Genasys zones TLC-E094-C and TLC-E094-E. Zone TLC-E094-C: West of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park boundary, north of the East Fork Kaweah River, and east of Oak Grove. Zone TLC-094-E: The Mineral King Road area, south of River Hill, east of Case Mountain, and west of Mitchell Ranch, including the Oak Grove community. Evacuation ORDERS remain in effect for zones TLC-E094-D and TLC-E094-B.

An evacuation ORDER, also known as a mandatory evacuation, means that all residents and visitors should leave now before the fire reaches the community. If you are unable to evacuate and require assistance, please call 9-1-1. In case of sheltering needs or questions regarding sheltering, please contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767.

The Tulare County Fire Department has also issued Evacuation WARNINGS for zones TLC-E093-A, TLC-E093-B, TLC-E095, TLC-E127-B, and TLC-E128-A. The Evacuation ORDER for zone TLC-E128-B has been downgraded to a WARNING. To find your zone, please refer to: protect.genasys.com.

[NOTE FROM THREE RIVERS TOGETHER: Because people have found the Genasys map challenging, the Three Rivers Together team has been creating a map that includes the community boundaries, structures, and familiar landmarks. To view this map, go to https://3rtogether.org/map/.]

CURRENT SITUATION: Yesterday, crews continued to prioritize the northern flank of the fire. Northwest of Case Mountain, firefighters identified a spot fire and worked directly to contain its spread. Firefighters also worked to slow the rate of spread along constructed control lines northeast of Case Mountain, using low-intensity firing operations, fire retardant, and aircraft water-drops as the fire reached the East Fork Kaweah River. Crews continued to brush and chip along Mineral King Road and to the east, the Fire Use Modules worked to construct indirect control lines moving north toward Horse Creek and Mineral King Road. Also on the east flank, firefighters constructed direct control lines around a spot fire outside the Eden Creek Grove of giant sequoias. To the south, mop up activities are continuing along the South Fork Kaweah River containment line. Crews on the western flank worked to construct direct control lines around a spot fire south of the Monache Tub Grove of giant sequoias, supported by aircraft water-drops.

Today, firefighters on the northern flank will use aircraft low-intensity burning and water-drops to hold the fire at its containment line along the East Fork Kaweah River. Crews will continue working to contain a spot fire near Case Mountain in the northwest. On the eastern flank, firefighters will work to slow fire spread near the Eden Creek Grove of giant sequoias. To the south, firefighters will monitor the near complete containment along the South Fork Kaweah River and continue mop-up activities. On the western flank of the fire, crews are patrolling direct control lines to ensure containment.

WEATHER: Warm and dry weather continues with sunny skies, haze, and smoke. Low pressure moving through to the north of the area will bring slightly cooler weather, with marginally higher humidity, and an uptick in southwesterly winds. General winds in early morning will be light out of the northeast, shifting to the southwest by mid-morning. A strong inversion will gradually rise in the morning and then break in the afternoon. There will be little change in the weather for Tuesday.

SMOKE IMPACTS: Westerly winds will shift the smoke impacts today. Springville and Pinehurst should see less smoke, averaging MODERATE, with periods of conditions that are UNSAFE FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS. Three Rivers will see some relief, although smoke settling in overnight will still likely reach UNHEALTHY levels by the morning. Hammond and Mineral King will likely see slightly more smoke today, with levels reaching VERY UNHEALTHY at times. The Giant Forest will see UNHEALTHY conditions this afternoon and evening. Smoke is making its way east of the Sierra Nevada, which raised levels to UNSAFE FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS last night in Independence. This will lift by late morning and is unlikely to raise levels above MODERATE during the day. For more information on current wildfire smoke impacts in your community, please visit AirNow.gov or fire.airnow.gov. [NOTE FROM THREE RIVERS TOGETHER: For additional information on the air quality in Three Rivers locations, visit Purple Air. A monitor has recently been installed on South Fork.]

FIRE INFORMATION: Fire information will be available on inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/caknp-coffee-pot-fire and videos will continue to be posted on the Park’s YouTube channel at @sequoiaandkingscanyonnps5018. A Public Information Officer will be at the Three Rivers Village Market daily from 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM to provide fire information and answer questions.

BLM AND PARK CLOSURES: The portion of South Fork Drive in Sequoia National Park and trails accessed from the road, including the Lady Bug and Garfield Grove Trails, are closed until further notice. You can view all Park closure information online at nps.gov/seki . The Bureau of Land Management has also issued a closure of the Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area at blm.gov/press-release.

PUBLIC NOTICE: Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit knowbeforeyoufly.org.