Evacuation orders issued as wildfire threatens Yosemite's Mariposa Grove, home to over 500 giant sequoia trees

A spreading wildfire menaces a renowned sequoia grove in California's Yosemite National Park, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for a nearby community, officials reported on Friday.

The Washburn Fire, which began on July 7, doubled in size overnight, burning near the lower section of the grove. A total of 360 fire personnel are now working to contain the blaze both on the ground and from the air, park officials stated earlier.

As the fire continues to spread, park officials have urged evacuees from Yosemite's Wawona campground and community to leave the area.

Mariposa Grove is home to over 500 majestic sequoia trees, some reaching heights of over 250 feet. Though the grove was officially established in 1857, these ancient trees are believed to be over 2,000 years old.

Yosemite is one of the most popular national parks in the U.S., attracting over 3.3 million visitors in 2021. It spans nearly 1,200 square miles in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in eastern California.

At the same time, California firefighting teams are battling the Electra Fire, which has scorched more than 4,400 acres across Amador and Calaveras counties in the Sierra Nevada, according to Cal Fire.

The fire sparked the state’s first-ever nighttime water-drop operation by helicopter on Wednesday, with approximately 12,000 gallons of water dropped on the flames, as reported by Cal Fire Battalion Chief Isaac Sanchez.

“The helicopter was deployed to help cool down and contain a fire operation from earlier in the day,” Sanchez explained. “While on this mission, the helicopter also discovered other areas where the fire had breached containment lines and assisted in fully extinguishing and containing them.”

The western U.S. has been devastated by wildfires in recent years, worsened by drought conditions linked to climate change. In California alone, over 2.5 million acres were burned in nearly 9,000 fires last year, according to Cal Fire.

Last month, officials in Southern California reported that they were preparing for another tough summer and fall, due to a shortage of firefighting crews and mounting workloads.

The risk isn’t confined to California. Robert Garcia, the US Forest Service’s fire chief for the Angeles National Forest, noted that the summer season has started off with troubling signs. Firefighting teams have been deployed since March to Arizona and New Mexico, where the Black Fire has recently become the second-largest wildfire in state history.

“Southern California usually experiences fire season starting in late June and extending into the fall,” Garcia explained to Dinogo last month. “However, we are now seeing wildfire activity year-round.”