Yosemite National Park, Calif.: California firefighters gained ground Monday in the battle against a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada had scorched about 4.2 square miles but was 22 percent contained as of Monday night, according to an incident update.
The fire was a threat to more than 500 mature sequoias in the park’s Mariposa Grove and the nearby community of Wawona, which has been evacuated. The area in the southern portion of Yosemite was closed to visitors but the rest of the national park remained open.
Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley have been protected since President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation in 1864. A sprinkler system was set up within the grove to maintain moisture, and there were no reports of severe damage to any named trees, including the 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant.
