Good News, Bad News as the Sequoia Blaze Continues

A blaze in Sequoia National Forest continued to burn Monday, running up a rugged canyon east of the Kern River so remote firefighters could not even get in to assess the situation.

“It’s running and torching and crowning up through that basin,” said Jim Paxon, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. “It’s dense timber and brush. It’s steep ground. Fire is going to get big in that area .... We can’t even give you an estimate.”

The good news, however, is that the fire, which has covered at least 73,000 acres, has moved away from the giant Sequoia groves, pushing north and east from the stately trees.

The fire’s western front, the side closest to the ancient groves, is contained.

Further north, firefighters battling a blaze near the Oregon border wore black mourning bands on their badges in memory of three firefighters who were killed Sunday when their truck pitched off a steep mountain road and rolled down 800 feet.

Those three were among 19 firefighters who have died this year, 18 battling blazes in one of the West’s worst fire seasons.

Seven firefighters have died in California alone. In addition to the three killed Sunday, a firefighter died of a heart attack in Riverside and three were killed when their plane crashed near Walker, Calif.

Those killed Sunday were identified as Heather DePaolo, 29, of Redding; John Self, 19, of Susanville; and Steven Oustad of Westwood, 51. A memorial service was held Monday night.

One of the injured, Alex Glover, 19, of Susanville, was released from the hospital Monday. The other injured firefighter, Ryan Smith, 20, remained hospitalized in satisfactory condition, officials said. Forest service officials and the California Highway Patrol were investigating the accident.

Meanwhile, officials said the 1,650-acre Stanza fire was 20% contained Monday. More than 500 firefighters battled that blaze, which began after a lightning strike July 22.

On the lines of the McNalley fire in the Sequoia National Forest, five firefighters have been injured since Friday.

On Monday, one firefighter broke his ankle and another was airlifted to Bakersfield after suffering heart problems. On Sunday a firefighter received a concussion in a fall. Countless others have been struck with heat exhaustion and dehydration.

More than 2,200 people are battling the Sequoia blaze, which officials say was started July 21 when a Bakersfield woman, Peri VanBrunt, let her campfire burn out of control.

Officials said they had no estimate for when the fire would be contained.

Residents of the community of Ponderosa were allowed back into their homes Monday, although another town was still closed to all but fire traffic.

“We’re back to the basics of firefighting,” said Paxon, the Forest Service spokesman. “It’s a very, very slow, methodical, tedious process.”

Elsewhere in California, a 1,000-acre fire burned near the mountain town of Julian in eastern San Diego County.

The fire was moving toward Banner Queen and Scissors Crossing, small communities that were being protected by firefighters.