Firefighters battle to save General Sherman, the world’s largest tree, as blazes ravage California

The fires are threatening Giant Forest, a grove of around 2,000 sequoias that includes five of the largest trees on the planet

The 83m General Sherman was wrapped in fireproof blankets to protect its giant trunk from the worst of the flames

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Giant sequoia trees stand among smoke filled skies in the Sequoia National Park in California. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:50pm, 18 Sep 2021Updated: 12:52pm, 18 Sep 2021

Firefighters battling to protect the world’s biggest tree from wildfires ravaging the parched United States said on Friday they are optimistic it can be saved.

Flames are creeping closer to the majestic General Sherman and other giant sequoias, as man-made climate change worsens California’s fearsome fire season.

“We have hundreds of firefighters there giving it their all, giving extra care,” Mark Garrett, communications officer for the region’s fire department, said, of the operation in Sequoia National Park.

The General Sherman tree was wrapped in fire-resistant material to protect it from the blaze. Photo: National Park Service/TNS

Crews are battling the spreading Paradise and Colony fires, which have so far consumed 4,600 hectares (11,400 acres) of forest since they were sparked by lightning a week ago.

The blazes are threatening Giant Forest, a grove of around 2,000 sequoias that includes five of the largest trees on the planet – some up to 3,000 years old.

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