Firefighters are working hard to save the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove inside the Yosemite National Park after a blaze broke out Friday from undetermined causes.
The fire, known as the Washburn Fire, is relatively small and is not even considered an “incident” by the Cal Fire agency. But it is an emergency for Yosemite, which is trying to preserve trees that are thousands of years old in some cases, in the midst of the busy tourist season, when tens of thousands visit the park daily.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday:
The first that Michael Gilbert, a 67-year-old rock climber and bellman, heard of the fire in Yosemite National Park was from a mother and daughter who drove up breathless on Friday.
They had been near the park’s famed Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. They saw a fire “this big,” the mother said, stretching her arms wide, indicating a few feet. They ran for a few seconds and looked back. Two trees were on fire. Twenty seconds later, she said, more trees than she could count.
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By Saturday morning, the Washburn fire had ballooned to about 1,190 acres and was threatening some 500 giant sequoias, along with the community of Wawona.
The San Francisco Chronicle added:
The Washburn Fire more than doubled in size Saturday, growing to 1,190 acres, fire officials said.
Firefighters worked Friday and Saturday to save the historic Mariposa Grove, which houses about 500 thousand year-old giant sequoias. An area at the southern edge of the park was evacuated Friday afternoon. The fire remained 0% contained.
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Crews at the southern entrance of the park worked Friday night to clear vegetation and create fire lines around the big trees, including the 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant, which is one of the world’s largest. Several trees were also being wrapped with fire-resilient blankets while hoses were being laid to create a sprinkler-like system to moisten the giant trees and help them survive the flames.
Some observers are blaming climate change for the ongoing drought that has left California vulnerable to wildfires. Others note poor forestry management, and the fact that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has failed to implement a fire prevention program.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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