Los Padres National Forest among forests set to temporarily close due to extreme heat, fire dangers
The US Forest Service announced the closure of various Southern California national forests and enforced fire restrictions amid the extreme heatwave and dangerous fire conditions statewide.
With wildfires still going strong across the northern half of the state, firefighting resources are being stretched thin.
In an effort to prevent another blaze from breaking out in the wildlands of SoCal, the Forest Service is temporarily closing the following forests:
- Los Padres National Forest
- Stanislaus National Forest
- Sierra National Forest
- Sequoia National Forest
- Inyo National Forest
- Angeles National Forest
- San Bernardino National Forest
- Cleveland National Forest
These closures are set to begin at 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7, and will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.
In addition, developed campgrounds and day-use sites at all National Forest locations will be closed statewide.
Fire restrictions are also being placed on national forest visitors. These restrictions prohibit the use of any ignition source, such as campfires and gas stoves, on all National Forest System land.
The US Forest Service says it is aiming to provide for public safety by reducing the potential for human-started fires.
“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 Forest Service said one example of extreme fire behavior is the Creek Fire on the Sierra National Forest which began on Friday, Sept. 4 and grew rapidly on Sept. 5. The fire made a 15-mile run in a single day and burned 36,000 acres, prompting evacuations and life saving measures. As a result, the California National Guard evacuated at least 200 people from Wagner Mammoth Pool Campground and assessed them for medical needs.
The Forest Service manages 18 National Forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, which encompasses over 20 million acres across California.
For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/R5.
