YOSEMITE NAIONAL PARK, Calif. AEUR” Friday’s closure of the largest grove of giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park saw hundreds of people evacuated from the area as a wildfire erupted through dense forest. This was the latest threat to the largest trees in the world.
According to Nancy Phillipe, Yosemite fire information spokesperson, a team was sent to Mariposa Grove to wrap large trunks in fire-resistant foil. This would protect them from the flames.
More than 500 mature trees were at risk, but no severe damage was reported to any of the named trees (e.g. the 3,000-year old Grizzly Giant).
Phillipe stated that the cause of the fire is under investigation. The rest of the park was left open while nearly 300 firefighters attempted to put out the flames using two water-dropping helicopters as well as an air tanker dumping flame retardant.
Although the giant sequoias are only 70 groves native to the Sierra Nevada’s western slope, they have been made more vulnerable by wildfires that have grown from undergrowth and a century of fire suppression, which has been exacerbated by climate changes.
Over the past two decades, lightning-sparked wildfires have claimed up to a fifth the 75,000 large sequoias. These trees are the largest by volume.
Phillipe stated that there was no natural spark to ignite the fire that erupted Thursday near the park’s Washburn Trail. Visitors reported smoke when they walked through the grove, which was reopened in 2018 following a three-year renovation costing $40 million.
The grove is located inside the park’s southern entry. It was evacuated without any injuries.
Authorities reported that the fire had reached 466 acres (188 ha) by Friday evening.
Friday’s evacuation orders were issued for the grove and Wawona aEUR”, a nearby community, which was surrounded by the park aEUR”, and Wawona Campground. There, 600-700 people were staying in a campground and cabins, as well as a historic hotel.
One year and a half ago, a strong windstorm tore through the grove and toppled 15 giant Sequoias along with many other trees.
Although the downed trees and large numbers of pines that were killed by bark beetles provided plenty of fuel, Friday’s winds were calm and the fire wasn’t spreading quickly.
To clear brush around the trees, the park uses prescribed burns. This helps to protect the trees from flames spreading further into the grove.
Phillipe stated that “when the unwelcome fires strike those areas, it tends slow the rate of spreading and helps us gain some command.”
Some evacuation orders were lifted in the Sierra foothills 80 miles (128 km) northwest of the Yosemite Fire as containment grew up to 70% for the Electra Fire which had burned 7 square mile (18 kilometers).
On Monday, a fire broke out in Jackson and forced 100 people who were celebrating the July Fourth holiday along a river to seek refuge at a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. facility.
