World’s largest trees in danger as California fires rage
- The flames are likely to reach the famous Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, officials warn
- The trees are adapted to fire, but can be overwhelmed by the intense blazes fuelled by climate change
Multiple forest fires on Thursday were threatening groves of gigantic sequoias in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains that are home to some of the world’s largest trees.
Flames would likely reach the famous Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, where two fires have been burning since lightning ignited them on September 9, according to a briefing for fire crews. It comes after a wildfire killed thousands of sequoias, some as tall as high-rises and thousands of years old, in the region last year.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks Superintendent Clay Jordan stressed the importance of protecting the massive trees from high-intensity fire.
A national inter-agency fire management team took command of efforts to fight the 11-square-mile (29-square-km) Paradise Fire and the 2.5-square-mile (6.5-square-km) Colony Fire, which was closest to the grove. Operations to burn away vegetation and other fuel that could feed the flames were planned for that area.
The fires forced the evacuation of the park this week, and additional areas in the town of Three Rivers outside the main entrance were ordered evacuated on Thursday.