Garnet fire threatens historic grove in Sierra national forest as it moves through Fresno county at 14% containment
Firefighters in California are racing to protect a historic grove of ancient giant sequoia trees in the Sierra national forest as the Garnet fire continues to spread through Fresno county.
The Garnet fire, which began on 24 August and was caused by lightning, reached McKinley Grove on Monday, the US Forest Service said. The grove is home to about 170 giant sequoia trees, some estimated to be 2,000 years old, according to the non-profit Save the Redwoods.
Videos released by the Forest Service on Monday show a “low intensity fire” moving through the grove, along with dense smoke and orange skies.
While the fire reached the forest on Monday, officials said that while embers had ignited some branches, no sequoias had fully caught fire as of Monday afternoon.
