Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
The U.S. Forest Service announced Monday eight national forests would temporarily close, including Los Padres, due to dangerous fire conditions.
“Most of California remains under the threat of unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions with a combination of extreme heat, significant wind events, dry conditions, and firefighting resources that are stretched to the limit. Due to these conditions, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region is announcing the following temporary closures and fire restrictions to provide for public safety and reduce the potential for human-caused fire starts,” the notice reads.
Stanislaus National Forest, Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest, Inyo National Forest, Los Padres National Forest, Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, and Cleveland National Forest closed at 5:00 p.m. Monday and will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.
All developed campgrounds and day-use sites have also closed within these forests.
“The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire,” said Randy Moore, Regional Forester for the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region. “We are bringing every resource to bear nationally and internationally to fight these fires, but until conditions improve, and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely, the priority is always to protect the public and our firefighters. With these extreme conditions, these temporary actions will help us do both.”
The Creek Fire was presented as an example of extreme fire behavior. The fire began in the Sierra National Forest Friday and grew rapidly on Saturday. The fire made a 15-mile run in a single day and burned 36,000 acres, prompting evacuations and life-saving measures. The California National Guard evacuated at least 200 people from Wagner Mammoth Pool Campground and assessed them for medical needs.
For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/R5.
