Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area is closed due to Coffee Pot wildland fire

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Field Office is issuing an emergency closure of the Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area in Tulare County, due to wildland fire danger from the nearby Coffee Pot Fire. This temporary closure is effective immediately, until further notice.

The Coffee Pot Fire started Saturday, Aug. 3, and has burned more than 1,600 acres of heavy brush and ground fuels as well as burning through the giant sequoia groves near the Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area and in Sequoia National Park.

Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area, which is approximately 20,000 acres of BLM-managed public land located near the town of Three Rivers, in Tulare County, contains the only Sequoia grove complex managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The complex is comprised of six distinct sequoia grove units, which total about 444 acres. The area is also part of the Milk Ranch Peak Wilderness Study Area and the nearly 20,000-acre Kaweah Area of Critical Environmental Concern, which is designated for protection of the Case Mountain giant sequoia groves, other sensitive plant and animal species, riparian areas, and cultural resources.

The area is closed to all forms of public access to provide for public and firefighter safety in relation to the Coffee Pot Fire and management of that fire. For specific questions related to the closure, please contact the Bakersfield Field Office at 661-391-6000. For information about the Coffee Pot Fire, please email [email protected], or call 559-492-9988.