A wildfire threatening the largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park more than doubled in size in a day, and firefighters were working Sunday to protect the iconic trees and a small mountain town.
Campers near the blaze were evacuated but the rest of the sprawling park in California remained open, though smoke that hung in the air obscured some scenic vistas.
Beyond the trees, the community of Wawona, which is surrounded by parkland and a campground, was under threat, with people ordered to leave their homes and campsites Friday night. Temperatures were expected rise and reach the lower 90s in the coming days, but fire crews working in steep terrain were not contending with intense winds, said Jeffrey Barlow, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford. Smoke had settled across large swaths of the park but the fire wasn't sending up huge plumes seen a day earlier, Barlow said Sunday.
Phillipe, the park spokeswoman, previously said some of the massive trunks had been wrapped in fire-resistant foil for protection, but she corrected herself on Sunday and said that was not the case for this fire. A fierce windstorm ripped through the grove over a year ago and toppled 15 giant sequoias, along with countless other trees.