SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — New wildfires were burning in Northern California following a series of lightning strikes, authorities said Friday.
The National Park Service said Friday evening that three new wildfires – the Colony Fire, the Paradise Fire and the Cabin Fire, were ignited as a result of a lightning storm over Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
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Earlier Friday, the U.S Forest service said dozens of lightning strikes touched off 11 new wildfires in Giant Sequoia National Monument and Sequoia National Forest.
With both the French and Walkers fires nearby, firefighting resources were being diverted to support where it was most needed.
The park service said crews were working on the ground using water and retardant drops on wildfires and were ordering additional resources for suppression actions.
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The fires are in steep, densely forested terrain and fire management officials said the blazes have the potential to spread in the current extremely-dry conditions over the coming days or weeks.
“As we tackle these new fires, we’re continuing to search for additional fires that may have been ignited by the lightning event,” said NPS chief ranger Ned Kelleher in a press release. “As the moisture that accompanied the storm evaporates in the coming days, we can anticipate discovering additional starts throughout the parks.”
Crystal Cave and Crystal Cave Road were closed Friday because of their proximity to the Colony Fire. On Friday evening, the Buckeye Flat Campground was closed due to its proximity to the Paradise Fire. There were no closures associated with the Cabin Fire.
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People with reservations for the Crystal Cave and Buckeye Flat Campground will receive notice of refunds from Recreation.gov.