Windy Fire
{{Short description|2021 wildfire in Central California}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox wildfire
| title = Windy Fire
| image = Windy Fire burns around sequoia.jpg
| alt = Refer to caption
| caption = The Windy Fire burns at the base of a giant sequoia near the Trail of 100 Giants
| location = {{Unbulleted list|Tulare County,|Central California,|United States}}
| coordinates = {{Coord|36.058|-118.625|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| references = {{Cite web |title=Windy Fire Information |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7841/ |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=InciWeb}}
| cost = $78.4 million
| date = {{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|9|9}} – |{{End date|2021|11|11}}|({{duration in days|2021|9|9|2021|11|11}} days)}}
| area = {{convert|97528|acre|ha sqmi km2|0}}
| cause = Lightning
| buildings = 128
| injuries = ≥4
| image_map = 2021 Windy Fire perimeter 1.png
| image_map_alt = Refer to caption
| image_map_caption = The Windy Fire's perimeter (orange) was mostly in Sequoia National Forest (green)
| pushpin_map = USA California
| pushpin_map_alt = Refer to caption
| pushpin_map_caption = The general location of the Windy Fire in central California
|evacuated=>200}}
The 2021 Windy Fire was a large wildfire in the Sequoia National Forest in Central California's Tulare County. Ignited by a lightning strike in the southern Sierra Nevada on September 9, the fire burned {{convert|97528|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} over the course of a month, threatening communities like Ponderosa and Johnsondale. Multiple atmospheric rivers in October and November eventually subdued the fire, which was declared fully contained in mid-November. Total firefighting costs came to $78.4 million. The Windy Fire was the eight-largest fire of California's 2021 wildfire season.
Though it destroyed 128 structures, the Windy Fire was also notable for its major impacts on the endangered giant sequoia population, which grows in less than a hundred natural groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The National Park Service estimated that the Windy Fire killed 900–1,300 large giant sequoias, part of a significant toll that high-severity wildfires have taken on the species in the 21st century. The KNP Complex Fire, which burned contemporaneously, burned {{convert|88307|acres|ha|abbr=on}} and killed up to 2,400 more large giant sequoias in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The two fires are estimated to have killed as much as 3–5 percent of the total population of large giant sequoias.
Background
The Windy Fire primarily burned within the Giant Sequoia National Monument, a {{convert|328315|acres|ha|abbr=on|adj=mid}} protected portion of the Sequoia National Forest containing dozens of giant sequoia groves.{{Cite news |last=Alexander |first=Kurtis |date=September 29, 2021 |title=Southern Sierra wildfires wiping out giant sequoia trees for 2nd year in a row |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/Southern-Sierra-wildfires-wiping-out-giant-16497755.php |url-status=live |access-date=November 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901160825/https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/Southern-Sierra-wildfires-wiping-out-giant-16497755.php |archive-date=September 1, 2022}}
The Windy Fire area saw many fewer fires in the period between 1970 and 2020 than occurred historically (prior to 1850).{{Cite report |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1057472.pdf |title=Post-fire Restoration Strategy for the 2021 Windy Fire, KNP Complex, and French Fire |date=2022 |publisher=United States Forest Service |access-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505152027/https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1057472.pdf |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |url-status=live}}{{rp|pages=|page=14}} According to Christy Brigham, in charge of Resources Management and Science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, more than fifty lightning fires were suppressed in the century or so prior to the fire that she argued could have been managed for beneficial effects in the region's sequoia groves.{{Cite news |last=Robbins |first=Jim |date=November 9, 2023 |title=Can 'Immortal' Sequoias Survive the Ravages of Climate Change? |work=Yale Environment 360 |publisher=Yale School of the Environment |url=https://e360.yale.edu/features/sequoias-climate-change |url-status=live |access-date=December 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126222406/https://e360.yale.edu/features/sequoias-climate-change |archive-date=November 26, 2023}} As fuels built up from the accumulating effects of fire suppression, widespread conifer die-off also occurred between 2012 and 2016. Drought and bark beetle infestations joined forces to kill an "estimated 147 million trees" in California.
California saw its second-driest water year ever in 2020–2021, exceeded in aridity only by that of 1923–1924.{{Cite news |last=Elamroussi |first=Aya |date=October 20, 2021 |title=California is under a statewide drought emergency as it sees its driest year in nearly a century |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/20/weather/california-drought-emergency-expanded/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017105645/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/20/weather/california-drought-emergency-expanded/index.html |archive-date=October 17, 2022}} It was the driest ever water year on record for the southern Sierra Nevada in particular, with only {{convert|9.9|in|cm|abbr=out}} of rainfall compared to the region's average of {{convert|28.8|in|cm|abbr=out}}.{{Cite news |last=Leonard |first=Diana |date=September 20, 2021 |title=Rain brings fire relief in Pacific Northwest, but winds fan flames in California |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/09/20/fire-sequoia-california-wind-rain/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024200236/https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/09/20/fire-sequoia-california-wind-rain/ |archive-date=October 24, 2021}} The summer of 2021 was also California's hottest ever recorded.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Hayley |date=September 9, 2021 |title=California records its hottest summer ever as climate change roils cities |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-09/california-records-hottest-summer-amid-heat-wave-flex-alert |url-status=live |access-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227013534/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-09/california-records-hottest-summer-amid-heat-wave-flex-alert |archive-date=February 27, 2023}} The prolonged hot and dry conditions, courtesy of a high-pressure system that loitered over the state, contributed to a rash of significant wildfires.
The Washington Post listed the Windy Fire as an example of a wildfire that experienced "significant overnight growth", representative of the climate change-driven increase of the vapor pressure deficit at night in the western United States since 1980.{{Cite news |last=Patel |first=Kasha |date=September 25, 2021 |title=Fires are lasting longer into the night, and researchers may have found out why |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/09/25/fires-burning-longer-night-west/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607012044/https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/09/25/fires-burning-longer-night-west/ |archive-date=June 7, 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Wigglesworth |first=Alex |date=November 1, 2021 |title=Climate change is now the main driver of increasing wildfire weather, study finds |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-01/climate-change-is-now-main-driver-of-wildfire-weather |url-status=live |access-date=December 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129075716/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-01/climate-change-is-now-main-driver-of-wildfire-weather |archive-date=November 29, 2023}}{{Cite journal |last1=Chiodi |first1=Andrew M. |last2=Potter |first2=Brian E. |last3=Larkin |first3=Narasimhan K. |date=July 15, 2021 |title=Multi-Decadal Change in Western US Nighttime Vapor Pressure Deficit |url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021GL092830 |url-status=live |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |language=en |volume=48 |issue=15 |doi=10.1029/2021GL092830 |issn=0094-8276 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030174546/https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021GL092830 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |access-date=December 14, 2023|url-access=subscription }} The vapor pressure deficit, a key meteorological variable that drives fire-conducive weather,{{Cite journal |last1=Zhuang |first1=Yizhou |last2=Fu |first2=Rong |last3=Santer |first3=Benjamin D. |last4=Dickinson |first4=Robert E. |last5=Hall |first5=Alex |date=2021-11-09 |title=Quantifying contributions of natural variability and anthropogenic forcings on increased fire weather risk over the western United States |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=118 |issue=45 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2111875118 |issn=0027-8424 |pmid=34725162|doi-access=free |pmc=8609294 }} reached record high levels in California during the Windy Fire.{{Cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Hayley |last2=Seidman |first2=Lila |date=September 16, 2021 |title=World's largest trees under siege from California wildfire as sequoias face new perils |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-16/california-giant-sequoias-wildfire-danger-worlds-largest-trees |url-status=live |access-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030032514/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-16/california-giant-sequoias-wildfire-danger-worlds-largest-trees |archive-date=October 30, 2023}}
Progression
= September 9–16 =
On the night of September 9, a procession of dry thunderstorms rolled across California. More than 1,100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded in the state by the following morning, and associated rainfall was not enough to quench some of the small fires left in their wake.{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Judson |date=September 10, 2021 |title=Over 1,000 lightning strikes occurred overnight in California, igniting new wildfires |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/10/weather/california-lightning-wildfires/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830172518/https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/10/weather/california-lightning-wildfires/index.html |archive-date=August 30, 2022}} Eleven fires started in the Sequoia National Forest and the Giant Sequoia National Monument).{{Cite news |last=Joshua |first=Yeager |date=September 10, 2021 |title=Lightning ignites 11 Sequoia National Forest fires as slightly cooler temps relieve Valley floor |work=Visalia Times-Delta |url=https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/09/10/lightning-ignites-11-sequoia-national-forest-fires-slightly-cooler-temps-arrive-to-central-valley/8275767002/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206204657/https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/09/10/lightning-ignites-11-sequoia-national-forest-fires-slightly-cooler-temps-arrive-to-central-valley/8275767002/ |archive-date=December 6, 2022}} The Windy Fire began that night on the Tule River Indian Reservation. The National Interagency Coordination Center reported on the morning of September 11 that the Windy Fire had burned {{convert|115|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} in timber and brush, exhibiting "active fire behavior with uphill runs, backing and flanking". By 4:00 p.m. on September 12, the fire had burned onto the Sequoia National Forest, spreading to {{convert|450|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2021 |title=Forest expands Windy Fire closure area |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD953971 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510214603/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD953971 |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |access-date=May 17, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=United States Forest Service}} California Incident Management Team 11 entered into unified command over the firefighting response with the Forest Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The fire impacted the Peyrone Grove of giant sequoias by September 13. On September 15, the Forest Service announced a closure order for part of the Sequoia National Forest, effective September 16 until December 31.{{Cite web |date=September 15, 2021 |title=Windy Fire public safety concerns spur closure order |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD953963 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510154312/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD953963 |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |access-date=May 17, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=United States Forest Service}} Overnight, the fire exhibited "significant" spread: in the morning update on the fire for September 16, officials gave the Windy Fire's burned area as {{convert|3924|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} and its containment at zero percent. That same day, the fire's eastern flank crossed the Western Divide Highway and its southern flank reached the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoias.
The Forest Service increased the size of the National Forest closure area on September 20, citing the fire's recent and anticipated growth. At around 8:00 p.m. on September 22, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office announced additional evacuation orders for the communities of Camp Nelson, Pierpoint, Coy Flat, Mountain Aire, Cedar Slope, Alpine Village, Rogers Camp, and Sequoia Crest. The fire grew by ~{{convert|12000|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} between September 22 and 23 for a total burned area of {{convert|43,745|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}, stoked by the arrival of a dry air mass with attendant higher winds and lower humidity levels.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Hayley |date=September 23, 2021 |title=Fawn fire forces emergency declaration in Shasta County as Windy fire spurs more evacuations |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-23/fawn-fire-grows-shasta-county-amid-windy-fire-evacuations |url-status=live |access-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907072008/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-23/fawn-fire-grows-shasta-county-amid-windy-fire-evacuations |archive-date=September 7, 2023}} The Forest Service closed more recreation sites in the Sequoia National Forest, primarily along the upper Kern River, on September 25.{{Cite web |date=September 25, 2021 |title=Upper Kern River Recreation Sites and Trails Closure Order Issued |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD955758 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510214600/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD955758 |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |access-date=May 17, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=United States Forest Service}} By September 29, the fire's advance to the south entered the burn scar from the 2016 Cedar Fire, limiting the fire activity there. On September 30, Forest Service smokejumpers, normally trained to climb trees to retrieve their parachutes, scaled the Bench Tree along the Trail of 100 Giants in order to extinguish flames in the canopy of an adjacent giant sequoia.{{Cite web |last=Gabbert |first=Bill |date=October 3, 2021 |title=Firefighters climb giant sequoias on the Windy Fire |url=https://wildfiretoday.com/2021/10/03/firefighters-climb-giant-sequoias-on-the-windy-fire/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901164911/https://wildfiretoday.com/2021/10/03/firefighters-climb-giant-sequoias-on-the-windy-fire/ |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |access-date=April 8, 2023 |website=Wildfire Today}}{{Cite news |last=Elam |first=Stephanie |date=September 30, 2021 |title=Windy Fire has destroyed more than two dozen giant sequoia trees – and that's just an early assessment |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/30/us/windy-fire-sequoia-trees-climate/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429231454/https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/30/us/windy-fire-sequoia-trees-climate/index.html |archive-date=April 29, 2023}}
On October 2, the evacuation orders for areas Sugarloaf Village, Panorama Heights, Poso Park, Idlewild, Pleasant View, Balance Rock, Posey and Vincent Ranch were reduced to evacuation warnings. Following the reduction, only 200 or so people remained under evacuation orders in all Tulare County. The decreased evacuations followed an increase in containment to 52 percent. But despite the cooler perimeter, an area of high pressure remained over the fire area in early October, keeping the weather hot and dry, and supporting unusually vigorous fire activity at night.{{Cite news |last=Wigglesworth |first=Alex |date=October 2, 2021 |title=Hot, dry weather challenges crews fighting California wildfires |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-02/hot-dry-weather-challenges-crews-fighting-california-wildfires |url-status=live |access-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505152029/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-02/hot-dry-weather-challenges-crews-fighting-california-wildfires |archive-date=May 5, 2023}} The Windy Fire's incident commander, Mark Morales, described conditions as "more like what you would observe in August: very dry with high temperatures and low humidity."{{Cite news |last=Yeager |first=Joshua |date=October 4, 2021 |title=Windy Fire incinerates dozens of giant sequoia as firefighters scramble to save big trees |work=Visalia Times-Delta |url=https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/10/04/windy-fire-incinerates-dozens-giant-sequoia/5951470001/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812061456/https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/10/04/windy-fire-incinerates-dozens-giant-sequoia/5951470001/ |archive-date=August 12, 2022}} Despite the conditions, the fire's last day with any growth recorded was October 9, one month after it had begun. By November 3, the fire was 92 percent contained. The remaining eight percent of uncontained perimeter, north of Cold Springs Creek and south of the Tule River Indian Reservation, lay in an area too difficult for ground personnel to access. It was left to burn itself out, under the supervision of aircraft, until the arrival of winter storms.{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2021 |title=Efforts to complete work on Windy Fire continues |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD968176 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829184308/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD968176 |archive-date=August 29, 2022 |access-date=May 10, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=United States Forest Service}}
The Windy Fire's precise date of containment is variously recorded as November 10 by the National Interagency Coordination Center,{{Cite report |url=https://www.nifc.gov/sites/default/files/NICC/2-Predictive%20Services/Intelligence/Annual%20Reports/2021/annual_report_0.pdf |title=Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics: Annual Report 2021 |date=2021 |publisher=National Interagency Coordination Center |access-date=October 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010114646/https://www.nifc.gov/sites/default/files/NICC/2-Predictive%20Services/Intelligence/Annual%20Reports/2021/annual_report_0.pdf |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |url-status=live}}{{rp|pages=|page=9}} November 11 by the National Park Service, and November 15 by Cal Fire;{{Cite web |title=Windy Fire |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/9/9/windy-fire |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409083933/https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/9/9/windy-fire |archive-date=April 9, 2023 |access-date=April 11, 2023 |website=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection}} whichever the case, by that time the fire had not grown in size for over a month. The total cost of fighting the Windy Fire came to $78.4 million.{{rp|pages=|page=9}} The total burned area included more than {{convert|75000|acres|ha|abbr=on}} in Sequoia National Forest, more than {{convert|19000|acres|ha|abbr=on}} on the Tule River Indian Reservation, and more than {{convert|1000|acres|ha|abbr=on}} each of BLM land and private land.{{Cite news |last=Staff |date=October 27, 2021 |title=Most soil in Windy Fire's path is moderately burned |work=The Sun-Gazette |url=https://thesungazette.com/article/news/2021/10/27/most-soil-in-windy-fires-path-is-moderately-burned/ |url-status=live |access-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027144235/https://thesungazette.com/article/news/2021/10/27/most-soil-in-windy-fires-path-is-moderately-burned/ |archive-date=October 27, 2021}}
National Forest infrastructure slowly resumed operation over the following months: the fire closure area was reduced in size on November 23,{{Cite web |date=November 23, 2021 |title=Forest Officials reduce Windy Fire Area, Roads and Trails Closure Order |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD974441 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511022008/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD974441 |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |access-date=May 17, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=United States Forest Service}} the Western Divide Highway reopened to through traffic on November 30,{{Cite web |date=November 30, 2021 |title=County roads re-open to travel through Windy Fire area |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD975767 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510154309/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD975767 |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |access-date=May 17, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=United States Forest Service}} and the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia National Monument reopened to the public on May 13, 2022.{{Cite news |last=Alexander |first=Kurtis |date=May 11, 2022 |title=Popular giant sequoia trail to reopen Friday after narrowly escaping fire |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Popular-giant-sequoia-trail-to-reopen-Friday-17165850.php |url-status=live |access-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901160816/https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Popular-giant-sequoia-trail-to-reopen-Friday-17165850.php |archive-date=September 1, 2022}}
In July 2022, the USFS reported multiple small holdover fires caused by smoldering giant sequoia trees, two of them from the Windy Fire the year before. The Cougar Fire in Red Hill Grove was contained at {{convert|1|acres|ha|abbr=on|spell=in}}. The Crawford Fire, less than a half mile away, was contained at {{convert|1/4|acres|ha|abbr=on|spell=in}}.{{Cite web |date=July 25, 2022 |title=Giant sequoia trees continue to smolder from past wildfires |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1045759 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629191056/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1045759 |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |access-date=October 11, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture}}
Effects
At least four personnel sustained injuries in the course of fighting the Windy Fire; all were minor but one: a firefighter was taken to a Fresno hospital with second-degree burns on September 30. The fire caused zero fatalities.{{Cite report |url=https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/our-impact/fire-statistics/2021_redbook_final.pdf?rev=525959073bbe4bbe816d67624911e4c3&hash=CFD17F879B2CE984AB5BA9FEA4F73A56 |title=2021 Wildfire Activity Statistics |date=2022 |publisher=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) |access-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030181432/https://www.fire.ca.gov/-/media/calfire-website/our-impact/fire-statistics/2021_redbook_final.pdf?rev=525959073bbe4bbe816d67624911e4c3&hash=CFD17F879B2CE984AB5BA9FEA4F73A56 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |url-status=live}}{{rp|pages=|page=12}}
The National Interagency Coordination Center records that 128 structures were lost to the Windy Fire.{{Cite report |url=https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/IMSR/2021/20211112IMSR.pdf |title=Incident Management Situation Report |date=November 12, 2021 |publisher=National Interagency Coordination Center |access-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223231757/https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/IMSR/2021/20211112IMSR.pdf |archive-date=December 23, 2022 |url-status=live}}{{rp|pages=|page=2}}{{Efn|According to Cal Fire, the Windy Fire destroyed 21 structures.{{Cite report |url=https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/our-impact/fire-statistics/2021_redbook_final.pdf |title=2021 Wildfire Activity Statistics |date=2022 |publisher=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection |access-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313070445/https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/our-impact/fire-statistics/2021_redbook_final.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |url-status=live}}{{rp|pages=|page=12}} The reason for the discrepancy is unknown.|group=lower-alpha}} Of those, 20 were residences, two were commercial buildings, and the remaining 106 were outbuildings. The destroyed residences included at least 14 homes in Sugarloaf Village. Destroyed Forest Service structures included a boardwalk at the Trail of 100 Giants, the Frog Meadow Guard Station, the Powder Horn and Speas Dirty Camp historic cabins, the Mule Peak Lookout and its radio repeater, and other outbuildings, storage sheds, and wooden bridges.{{Cite web |date=October 12, 2021 |title=Work to determine damage from Windy Fire ongoing |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD961485 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113193535/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD961485 |archive-date=November 13, 2021 |access-date=May 10, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=United States Forest Service}} The Mule Peak Lookout, established in 1935, was one of the last remaining fire lookouts in the Sequoia National Forest.{{Cite news |date=October 12, 2021 |title=Efforts continue to assess damage caused by Windy Fire |work=The Porterville Recorder |url=https://www.recorderonline.com/gallery/efforts-continue-to-assess-damage-caused-by-windy-fire/article_cdc09dd6-2ba7-11ec-a1bf-0f97777fcd49.html |url-status=live |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103194330/https://www.recorderonline.com/gallery/efforts-continue-to-assess-damage-caused-by-windy-fire/article_cdc09dd6-2ba7-11ec-a1bf-0f97777fcd49.html |archive-date=November 3, 2023}}
= Giant sequoias =
The Windy Fire impacted eleven giant sequoia groves, comprising more than {{convert|1735|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}.{{Efn|According to the National Park Service, this acreage estimate "does not include two groves on the Tule River Reservation for which there is not publicly available spatial data".|group=lower-alpha}} On November 19, 2021, the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team assigned to the Windy and KNP Complex fires released their report, which discussed a variety of fire impacts, post-fire hazards, and potential actions for response. Within the report, an analysis conducted by Nature Conservancy and National Park Service scientists used a combination of fire severity data, satellite imagery, aerial reconnaissance, and limited ground assessments to estimate possible large giant sequoia mortality from the Windy Fire.{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2021 |title=Giant Sequoia Mortality Estimates Released for the 2021 KNP Complex and Windy Fire |url=https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/news/giant-sequoia-mortality-estimates-released-for-the-2021-knp-complex-and-windy-fire.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002041221/https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/news/giant-sequoia-mortality-estimates-released-for-the-2021-knp-complex-and-windy-fire.htm |archive-date=October 2, 2022 |access-date=March 16, 2023 |website=Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks |publisher=National Park Service}} In total, the National Park Service report estimated that the Windy Fire killed between 931 and 1,257 large sequoias, defined as those over {{Convert|4|ft|m|abbr=off|spell=in}} in diameter. The estimate includes the sequoias killed outright as well as those expected to die in the three to five years following the fire. When combined with the estimated large sequoia mortality of 1,330–2,380 trees from the KNP Complex Fire, the two wildfires are responsible for the death of 3–5 percent of the large sequoia population.{{Cite web |last1=Shive |first1=Dr. Kristen |last2=Brigham |first2=Dr. Christy |last3=Caprio |first3=Tony |last4=Hardwick |first4=Paul |title=2021 Fire Season Impacts to Giant Sequoias |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/2021-fire-season-impacts-to-giant-sequoias.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209141319/https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/2021-fire-season-impacts-to-giant-sequoias.htm |archive-date=February 9, 2023 |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks |publisher=National Park Service}}
The National Park Service's assessment highlighted an "alarming trend" given the previous large sequoia mortality from the Castle Fire in 2020—part of the SQF Complex fire—which killed an estimated 10–14 percent of large sequoias (or between 7,500 and 10,600 individual trees).{{Cite web |last1=Stephenson |first1=Nathan |last2=Brigham |first2=Christy |date=June 25, 2021 |title=Preliminary Estimates of Sequoia Mortality in the 2020 Castle Fire |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/preliminary-estimates-of-sequoia-mortality-in-the-2020-castle-fire.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127074700/https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/preliminary-estimates-of-sequoia-mortality-in-the-2020-castle-fire.htm |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks |publisher=National Park Service}} The two mortality assessments suggest that in 2020 and 2021, 13–19 percent of the world's large sequoia population was lost in just three wildfires. Prior to 2020, the total number of large sequoias within the groves of the Sierra Nevada was estimated at 75,580; the total number may have fallen to ~60,000 after the Castle, Windy, and KNP Complex fires.{{Cite news |last=Seidman |first=Lila |date=November 26, 2021 |title='There is nothing alive on that tree': Inside a giant sequoia grove scorched by the KNP Complex fire |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-26/how-the-knp-complex-devastated-one-giant-sequoia-grove |url-status=live |access-date=March 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308031434/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-26/how-the-knp-complex-devastated-one-giant-sequoia-grove |archive-date=March 8, 2023}} Land managers attributed the excessive toll to fuel loads and fire behavior too severe for the trees to tolerate, driven by climate change, drought, and the zealous suppression of wildfire in those areas for a hundred years or more.{{Cite news |last=Kohlruss |first=Carmen |date=November 19, 2021 |title=Thousands of giant sequoias ravaged in recent Southern Sierra wildfires, study says |work=The Fresno Bee |url=https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/fires/article255965252.html |url-status=live |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103195400/https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/fires/article255965252.html |archive-date=November 3, 2023}}
== List of groves impacted ==
The following is a summary of all the groves that the Windy Fire impacted. High severity fire refers to that causing overstory mortality greater than 80 percent. Most of the giant sequoias in high severity fire areas were killed.{{Cite web |last=Alonzo |first=Denise |date=November 3, 2021 |title=Sequoia grove damage assessments continue |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD968175 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510155118/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD968175 |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |access-date=November 1, 2023 |website=Sequoia National Forest |publisher=United States Forest Service}}
| class="wikitable"
|+List of giant sequoia groves burned !Name !Comments |
| Black Mountain Grove
|{{convert|3084|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|90|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |3% |Past fire history and fuels reduction efforts reduced the damage to this grove.{{Cite news |last=Romero |first=Sheyanne N. |date=October 13, 2021 |title=Windy Fire damage assessment could take months to complete as containment nears |work=Visalia Times-Delta |url=https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/10/13/windy-fire-damage-assessment-could-take-months-complete/8437846002/ |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201204128/https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/10/13/windy-fire-damage-assessment-could-take-months-complete/8437846002/ |archive-date=December 1, 2022}} |
| Cunningham Grove
|{{convert|32|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|32|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |0% |Past fire history and fuels reduction efforts reduced the damage to this grove. |
| Deer Creek Grove
|{{convert|144|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|144|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |53% |The Windy Fire burned through this grove on or around September 23, resulting in "'heavy scorch' to many trees".{{Cite news |last=Seidman |first=Lila |date=October 11, 2023 |title='Running out of options': Fight to protect giant sequoias has gotten experimental |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-11/fight-to-protect-giant-sequoias-from-fire-goes-experimental |url-status=live |access-date=December 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210035234/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-11/fight-to-protect-giant-sequoias-from-fire-goes-experimental |archive-date=December 10, 2023}} |
| Long Meadow Grove
|{{convert|568|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|568|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |29% |Firefighters prepared this grove in advance of the Windy Fire's arrival, at times pumping 20,000 gallons of water per day onto the trees{{Cite news |last=Rodriguez |first=Rich |date=October 6, 2021 |title=74 Giant Sequoia trees destroyed so far in Windy Fire |work=KMPH-TV ("Fox 26") |url=https://kmph.com/news/local/74-giant-sequoia-trees-destroyed-so-far-in-windy-fire |url-status=live |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128180913/https://kmph.com/news/local/74-giant-sequoia-trees-destroyed-so-far-in-windy-fire |archive-date=November 28, 2021}} via dozens of sprinklers. In concert with past fuels reduction efforts near the Trail of 100 Giants, the measures ensured the heart of Long Meadow Grove received less damage. At least 29 giant sequoias were "incinerated" elsewhere in the grove. |
| Packsaddle Grove
|{{convert|533|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|528|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |32% | |
| Peyrone Grove
|{{convert|741|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|741|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |12% | |
| Redhill Grove
|{{convert|602|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|602|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |31% |Past fire history and fuels reduction efforts reduced the damage to this grove. |
| South Peyrone Grove
|{{convert|115|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|115|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |21% | |
| Starvation Complex
|{{convert|182|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |{{convert|182|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} |92% |The Starvation Complex comprises the Starvation Creek Grove and the Powderhorn Grove, both small groves located in the Deer Creek drainage.{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Lawrence F. |title=NPS: The Giant Sequoias of California (Brief Description and Location of Giant Sequoia Groves) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/cook/groves.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029033350/https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/cook/groves.htm |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |access-date=November 1, 2023 |website=www.nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service}} The Starvation Creek grove had no recent fire history, and crews only had several hours to conduct emergency preparations for the Windy Fire's arrival. The Starvation Creek Grove entirely burned in the Windy Fire, killing approximately 116 giant sequoias and leaving only four alive. |
| North Cold Spring Grove
| --- | --- | --- |The North Cold Spring Grove is within the Tule River Indian Reservation. While it burned in the Windy Fire, it was left out of Forest Service analyses.{{rp|pages=|page=8|quote="Parker Peak and North Cold Spring sequoia groves in the Tule River Indian Reservation were also burned in the 2021 Windy Fire but not included in the analysis due to the lack of available spatial (i.e., grove perimeter) data."}} A forester with the Tule River Indian Tribe estimated that more than 20 large giant sequoias had been killed on reservation lands. |
| Parker Peak Grove
| --- | --- | --- |The Parker Peak Grove is within the Tule River Indian Reservation. While it burned in the Windy Fire, it was left out of Forest Service analyses.{{rp|pages=|page=8|quote="Parker Peak and North Cold Spring sequoia groves in the Tule River Indian Reservation were also burned in the 2021 Windy Fire but not included in the analysis due to the lack of available spatial (i.e., grove perimeter) data."}} A forester with the Tule River Indian Tribe estimated that more than 20 large giant sequoias had been killed on reservation lands. |
= Other environmental impacts =
A Forest Service burned area emergency response (BAER) assessment team evaluated the fire's burned area. The area's soil burn severity was mapped, with approximately 43 percent of it at unburned to low severity, 47 percent of it at moderate severity, and 10 percent of the area burned at a high soil burn severity. The Windy Fire also burned more than {{convert|93000|acres|ha|abbr=on}} of fisher habitat in conifer and hardwood forests, more than {{convert|43000|acres|ha|abbr=on}} of which burned at a high severity.{{rp|pages=|page=47}}File:Windy_Fire_smoke_satellite_view.jpg's GOES-17 satellite]]Smoke from the Windy and KNP Complex fires inundated large portions of California during late September and early October, largely affecting the San Joaquin Valley but occasionally impacting Southern California. Thick smoke in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern counties caused local high schools to cancel football games, and those with respiratory ailments were advised to remain indoors.{{Cite news |last=Hawkins |first=Stephen |date=October 1, 2021 |title=Smoke, bad air forcing schools to cancel football games |work=KMPH-TV |url=https://kmph.com/news/local/smoke-bad-air-forcing-schools-to-cancel-football-games |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901164911/https://kmph.com/news/local/smoke-bad-air-forcing-schools-to-cancel-football-games |archive-date=September 1, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Hayley |date=September 22, 2021 |title=Wildfires approach more giant sequoias and worsen air quality across Central California |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-22/wildfires-approach-more-giant-sequoias-and-worsen-air-quality-across-central-california |url-status=live |access-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308215751/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-22/wildfires-approach-more-giant-sequoias-and-worsen-air-quality-across-central-california |archive-date=March 8, 2023}}{{Cite web |date=September 30, 2021 |title=Air Quality Alert Due to Wildfire Smoke: KNP Complex and Windy Fire Send Smoke Into the Valley |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-publication/casqf-windy-fire/air-quality-alert-due-to-wildfire-smoke |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321155902/https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-publication/casqf-windy-fire/air-quality-alert-due-to-wildfire-smoke |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |access-date=March 21, 2023 |website=InciWeb |publisher=San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District}} Areas affected included Fresno, Bakersfield, Kernville, and Lake Isabella.{{Cite news |last=Morgen |first=Sam |date=September 24, 2021 |title=Poor air quality from wildfires expected to last through weekend |work=The Bakersfield Californian |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/news/poor-air-quality-from-wildfires-expected-to-last-through-weekend/article_98af8304-1d84-11ec-99db-8b2113eb2377.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814103844/https://www.bakersfield.com/news/poor-air-quality-from-wildfires-expected-to-last-through-weekend/article_98af8304-1d84-11ec-99db-8b2113eb2377.html |archive-date=August 14, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Amaro |first=Yesenia |date=October 3, 2021 |title=Update: Poor air quality prompts youth sports cancellations; California Classic goes on |work=The Fresno Bee |url=https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article254727177.html |url-status=live |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103200313/https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article254727177.html |archive-date=November 3, 2023}} On September 27, the air quality in Kernville to the southeast of the Windy Fire was the worst in the country, with an air quality index (AQI) of 437, well into the 'hazardous' level of health concern.{{Cite news |last=Seidman |first=Lila |date=September 27, 2021 |title=Heavy wildfire smoke prompts air advisory in Southern California |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-27/fire-smoke-triggers-air-quality-advisory-for-southern-california-mountains |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109041314/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-27/fire-smoke-triggers-air-quality-advisory-for-southern-california-mountains |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |access-date=March 12, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times}} At least once, north winds pushed smoke more than a hundred miles south. Dozens of people in the Los Angeles area called 911 to report the smoke and the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a special air quality advisory for parts of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains for multiple days.{{Cite news |last=Wigglesworth |first=Alex |date=September 23, 2021 |title=Smoky L.A. skies are from wildfires to the north, officials say |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-23/smoky-l-a-skies-are-from-wildfires-to-the-north-officials-say |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929074938/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-23/smoky-l-a-skies-are-from-wildfires-to-the-north-officials-say |archive-date=September 29, 2022}}
In August 2023, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that the Windy Fire burn area had become home to a pack of at least five gray wolves, marking the species' first presence in the Sequoia National Forest since they were extirpated approximately 150 years prior. Researchers attributed the return to increased deer and other prey populations, which had benefited from the fire stimulating increased grass growth.{{Cite news |last=Popescu |first=Adam |date=November 21, 2023 |title=Wildfire Brought Wolves Back to Southern California after 150 Years |work=Scientific American |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wildfire-brought-wolves-back-to-southern-california-after-150-years/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204120534/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wildfire-brought-wolves-back-to-southern-california-after-150-years/ |archive-date=December 4, 2023}}
Growth and containment
The table below shows how the fire grew in size and in containment during September and October in 2021. Acreage reflects, where possible, the figure reported in the daily morning update following overnight aerial infrared mapping of the fire. The graph runs from September 9, the day the fire began, until October 9, the last day where fire growth was reported (though the fire was not declared completely contained for more than a month afterward).
See also
- Glossary of wildfire terms
- Rough Fire (2015) – Killed giant sequoias in General Grant Grove
- Pier Fire (2017) – Killed giant sequoias in Black Mountain Grove
- Railroad Fire (2017) – Killed giant sequoias in Nelder Grove
- Washburn Fire (2022) – Threatened giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove
References
= Notes =
{{notelist}}
= Citations =
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/casqf-windy-fire InciWeb: Windy Fire Incident Information]
- [https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/9/9/windy-fire Cal Fire: Windy Fire Incident Information]
- [https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/2021-fire-season-impacts-to-giant-sequoias.htm National Park Service: 2021 Fire Season Impacts to Giant Sequoias]
- [https://wildfiretoday.com/tag/windy-fire/ Wildfire Today, Tag: Windy Fire]
{{California wildfires}}
{{2021 wildfires|state=California}}
Category:2021 California wildfires
Category:Wildfires in Tulare County, California