SQF Complex or Sequoia Complex was a complex of two of the
August 2020 California lightning wildfires
The August 2020 California lightning wildfires (also referred to as the August lightning siege or August wildfire siege) were a series of 650 wildfires that ignited across Northern California in mid-August 2020, due to a siege of dry lightning ...
, burning in
Sequoia National Forest
Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boundar ...
and adjacent areas. Sparked on August 19, it included the Castle and Shotgun fires. As of January 5, 2021, it had burned and was 100% contained.
228 structures were destroyed.
Property lost
The small community of
Cedar Slope
Cedar Slope is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tulare County, California, Tulare County, California. Cedar Slope sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported that Cedar Slope was uninhabited. Cedar Slope can be reached from P ...
was largely destroyed by the fire with 57 of its 65 cabins completely burned. In the nearby communities of Alpine Village and
Sequoia Crest, 37 and 49 cabins were lost in the fire respectively. No structure damage was reported in nearby
Camp Nelson or
Ponderosa. The area remains at risk for mud flows and flash floods due to the charred soil being unable to absorb water.
Evacuations and road closures
As a result of the fire, parts of
Route 190 and
Route 198 were closed,
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and today protects of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing ...
was closed for two weeks and parts of
Three Rivers were under mandatory evacuation orders. The fire was burning in Sequoia National Forest,
Inyo National Forest
Inyo National Forest is a United States National Forest covering parts of the eastern Sierra Nevada of California and the White Mountains of California and Nevada. The forest hosts several superlatives, including Mount Whitney, the highest poi ...
, and the
Golden Trout Wilderness
The Golden Trout Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada, in Tulare County and Inyo County, California. It is located east of Porterville within Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Forest.
It is in siz ...
. On 14 September, the fire crossed the boundary into Sequoia National Park.
The SQF Complex was declared 100% contained on January 6, 2021. The winter weather essentially extinguished the fire, although a sequoia tree trunk was found to be still burning in early May, 2021.
Impact on Sequoia Groves
The Castle fire swept through portions of 20
Giant Sequoia
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...
groves. The number of mature Sequoia Trees that died is “certainly in the hundreds – and could easily top 1,000.” More recent estimates indicate that over 7500–10,600 mature trees, or over 10-14% of the species' population, could have been lost in the fire. The most intense previous fire in this area is dated to 1297 based on tree ring data. The McIntrye Grove, a short distance to the south from
Cedar Slope
Cedar Slope is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tulare County, California, Tulare County, California. Cedar Slope sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported that Cedar Slope was uninhabited. Cedar Slope can be reached from P ...
, is reported as heavily damaged. Near
Sequoia Crest, one-third of the Alder Creek Grove of Giant Sequoia is reported as severely damaged. The large Stagg Tree in Alder Creek Grove was not impacted. Other areas experienced “light fire” which is expected to be ecologically beneficial in the long run. The Homers Nose Grove is also reported as “badly burned”.
See also
*
2020 California wildfires
The 2020 California wildfire season, part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season, was a record-setting year of wildfires in California. By the end of the year, 9,917 fires had burned , more than 4% of the state's roughly 100 mil ...
**
August 2020 California lightning wildfires
The August 2020 California lightning wildfires (also referred to as the August lightning siege or August wildfire siege) were a series of 650 wildfires that ignited across Northern California in mid-August 2020, due to a siege of dry lightning ...
***
LNU Lightning Complex fires
The LNU Lightning Complex fires were a large complex of wildfires that burned during the 2020 California wildfire season across much of the Wine Country area of Northern California – Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, and Yolo Counties, from Au ...
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SCU Lightning Complex fires
The SCU (Santa Clara Unit) Lightning Complex fires were wildfires that burned in the Diablo Range in California in August and September 2020 as part of the 2020 California wildfire season. The fire complex consisted of fires in Santa Clara, Al ...
***
CZU Lightning Complex fires
The CZU Lightning Complex fires were wildfires that burned in Northern California starting in August 2020. The fire complex consisted of fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, including fires that had previously been separately tracked as ...
References
{{California wildfires
2020 California wildfires
Sequoia National Park
Wildfires in Tulare County, California