The downed trees, along with massive numbers of pines killed by bark beetles, provided ample fuel for the flames. The fire had grown to about 1.9 square miles (4.8 square kilometers) by Saturday evening.Ī fierce windstorm ripped through the grove a year-and-a-half ago and toppled 15 giant sequoias, along with countless other trees. Smoke was reported by visitors walking in the grove that reopened in 2018 after a $40 million renovation that took three years. There was no obvious natural spark for the fire that broke out Thursday next to the park’s Washburn Trail, Phillipe said. Lightning-sparked wildfires over the past two years have killed up to a fifth of the estimated 75,000 large sequoias, which are the biggest trees by volume. The giant sequoias, native in only about 70 groves spread along the western slope of California’s Sierra Nevada range, were once considered impervious to flames but have become increasingly vulnerable as wildfires fueled by a buildup of undergrowth from a century of fire suppression and drought exacerbated by climate change have become more intense and destructive. Given the relatively small size of the fire and minimal winds, smoke impacts were not expected to stretch far beyond the park, he said. Though firefighters were facing hot and dry conditions, they didn’t have to contend with intense winds on Saturday, said Jeffrey Barlow, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford. About 600 to 700 people who were staying at the Wawona campground in tents, cabins and an historic hotel were ordered to leave. The bulldozers would primarily be used to put in fire lines to protect Wawona, she said. That included air drops of fire retardant as well as the planned use of bulldozers to create fire lines, a tactic that’s rarely used in a wilderness setting like Yosemite, Phillipe said. The fire was proving difficult to contain, with firefighters throwing “every tactic imaginable” at it, said Nancy Phillipe, a Yosemite fire information spokesperson. The cause of the fire was under investigation.īeyond the trees, the small community of Wawona, which is surrounded by park and a campground, was under threat, with people ordered to leave their homes and campsites on Friday night.
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