The Mariposa Grove, where the well-known trees stand, will be closed for safety reasons. The people of a nearby town should leave the region.
A forest fire in Yosemite National Park in California is threatening the Mariposa Grove with its well-known redwoods. According to the authorities, the fire spread on Friday on the southern edge of the national park in the popular excursion area. The so-called “Washburn” fire had grown to an area of 188 hectares by the evening.
Several hundred people in the town of Wawona and at a campsite have been asked to leave the endangered region. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
The Mariposa Grove has been closed to visitors and more than 500 adult redwoods are at risk, sources said. So far, however, there have been no reports of serious damage to well-known trees like the 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant. A spokeswoman for Yosemite Park Fire Information said when the fire got out of control, a team was dispatched to Mariposa Grove to wrap some of the massive tree trunks in fireproof foil.
In the past, intentional fires have also been used to remove shrubbery around the redwoods to protect them. “When the unwanted fires hit these areas, it tends to slow down the rate of spread and help us gain some control,” the spokeswoman said.