Garnet Fire sparked by suspected lightning prompted a partial closure of Sierra National Forest recreational areas east of Fresno, including Courtright and Wishon reservoirs, beginning Aug. 28. Fresno County sheriff declared evacuations covering almost 300 square miles, extending to the east shore of Pine Flat Lake. The fire had burned 12,378 acres (19 square miles) by Wednesday evening, ranking as California's fifth-largest fire of the summer. Some campers reported denied full refunds when cancelling Wishon reservations because the Forest Service had not declared an evacuation. Sierra National Forest set the closure to expire Sept. 16 and said identifiable sections will be removed where practical. Updates and evacuation zones are posted on Fresno County's emergency website.
Those reservoirs fall within the evacuation area declared by Fresno County's sheriff on Sunday, the day the fire was reported. Despite that order, people said this week on social media that when they called to cancel camping reservations at Wishon Reservoir, staffers told them that they would not get a full refund because the Forest Service had not declared an evacuation.
A statement Wednesday from Sierra National Forest said its partial closure is set to expire Sept. 16. Wherever practical, identifiable sections will be carved out' and taken off the order as soon as possible, it said. Garnet, one of a spate of California wildfires thought to have been sparked by lightning over the weekend, had burned 12,378 acres (19 square miles) by Wednesday evening, the national forest's fire managers said.
The evacuation order covers almost 300 square miles of the national forest in Fresno County, extending to the east shore of Pine Flat Lake. The map above shows the evacuation area in red and the approximate fire perimeter as a black line. Updates and details, including evacuation warning zones, can be found at Fresno County's emergency website.
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