Thursday, September 10, 2015

Rough Fire Continues to Rage as Containment Efforts Expand

The Rough Fire continues to burn in the in the Kings River drainage of the Central Sierra Nevada. It is California’s largest wildfire, surpassing one hundred thousand acres of national forest and park lands. Visitors and employees were ordered to evacuate the Grant Grove area in Kings Canyon National Park. The park entrance is now closed, as is Highway 180 leading into the park. The fire is growing on three fronts, even as containment efforts expand. Rugged terrain, dry vegetation and a heat wave are merging to make suppression efforts fire exceptionally difficult. One firefighter was injured three days ago and taken to a Fresno hospital. The fire began on July 31st, sparked by a lightning strike. Pacifica’s Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.