Basin Fire forces partial closure of Sierra National Forest

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Saturday, the U.S. Forest Service announced a partial closure of the forest because of the hazardous conditions of the fire.

The video above is from an earlier story and will be updated.

Starting on Sunday, June 30, parts of the Sierra National Forest will be closed. It's to keep people safe while firefighters work to gain ground on the fire. The closure will last until July 30.

"Ultimately that closure order is there for the protection of the public," said Mike Lindbery, a spokesperson for the Basin Fire. "But it's also there for the protection of the firefighters."

The closures starts at Trimmer Springs Road and the forest boundary line and circles back to that intersection.

The map below provided by Rangers shows the closed area.

From the air and on the ground, firefighters are actively trying to put out the Basin Fire heading into the night.

As of Saturday, the flames have burned 7,462 acres with no containment. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Cews focused their efforts on the Balch Camp Area where they were trying to get ahead of the flames and build contingency lines.

Hundreds of firefighters, from California to Colorado, are on the frontlines.

"We're going to keep building this until we are at the appropriate size to manage this fire," said Lindbery.

Meagan Baron and her friends came up from San Francisco to go camping in Mono Creek for the next several days.

While their area is not affected, she's keeping a close eye on the conditions.

"We were concerned," said Baron. "Just making sure we were going to be in a place that we could go that's not close to the fire or in the path of the fire."

But they are prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice.

"We looked up the burn area, checked the daily reports and called the ranger," said Baron. "I looked up what the best practices are. If I feel like we are in a close place to the fire, like if something changes while we are out on the trail."

With the Fourth of July coming up, officials are stressing this reminder.

"We're coming up on a holiday weekend," said Lindbery. "We're going to have a lot of people on the roads and we're going to have firefighters on the roads. For people driving in the Basin Fire, to really be aware of firefighters."

People who ignore the closure order, can face a steep fine of up to $10,000. Officials also urging people to check the Sierra National Forest website for updates.

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