Just to be clear: this was a suppression fire from the start. It’s in steep, nasty country with extremely dense brush that has not burned in decades (much like the Paradise fire that grew into KNP in 2021). It’s a dangerous place to put firefighters. The IA crew had a small patch of terrain in their favor initially, but once the rollout occurred, that went away completely.
It’s not surprising in the slightest that they wound up having to draw a much, much bigger box for containment.
Also, @pyrogeography, many thanks for the fire intensity + sequoia groves map. You do amazing work.