News Release

Ignitions Have Started on the Tharps-Hazelwood Prescribed Burn

Date: June 9, 2022
Contact: Mark Ruggiero, Fire Information Officer, 559-565-3704
Contact: Nancy Phillipe, Fire Information Officer, 209-620-6431

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. June 9, 2022 – Following a successful test burn this morning and a determination by the burn boss and fire management staff, ignitions have begun on the Tharps-Hazelwood Prescribed Burn in Sequoia National Park. Eight to nine days of ignitions are planned to complete these critical fuels treatments.

The Tharps-Hazelwood Prescribed Burn is located in the heart of the Giant Forest and roughly half of a mile northeast of the Giant Forest Museum. Visitors to the area on ignition days may experience up to 30-minute traffic delays for the safety of fire crews working along and near the Generals Highway during that time. Access to the General Sherman Tree will not be limited by the prescribed burn.

However, the network of trails in the Giant Forest is very complex. Trails closed during the prescribed burn and the post- burn period will be clearly flagged / marked. Visitors will not be able to hike between the General Sherman Tree and the Giant Forest Museum during this time. Additionally, hiking across the Giant Forest to Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow from the General Sherman Tree will not be possible during the prescribed burn.

Instead, visitors are encouraged to use the free Sequoia Shuttle between these points. More info can be found at https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/parktransit.htm with schedules and route information.

Visitors to the area on ignition days may experience moderate smoke impacts in the Giant Forest, General Sherman Tree, and Lodgepole areas. At night, smoke may be discernible in the parks’ lower elevations and in Three Rivers, CA. Research shows that regular prescribed burns produce less smoke than wildfire in areas where fire has been excluded. Visitors can learn more about air quality and smoke by visiting https://fire.airnow.gov or www.valleyair.org.

For more information on this prescribed burn such as the map, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8130/

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About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ Fire Management Program

For over fifty years, our mission has been to use the full range of options and strategies available to manage fire in the parks. This includes protecting park resources, employees, and the public from unwanted fire; building and maintaining fire resilient ecosystems; reducing the threat to local communities from wildfires emanating from the parks or adjacent lands; and recruiting, training, and retaining a professional fire management workforce.

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