Firefighters were waging an intense battle Sunday morning to protect hundreds of ancient sequoias threatened by flames raging across rugged and parched terrain in California's Yosemite National Park.
The Washburn fire had grown to at least 1,591 acres and was burning on the southern end of the park near the historic Mariposa Grove, home to about 500 giant sequoias, officials said. The blaze is also threatening the community of Wawona and prompted officials to close Highway 41.
More than 300 firefighters were battling the blaze in a coordinated land and air attack, officials said. In the Mariposa Grove, crews were scraping the ground cover to bare soil to prevent flames and spot fires from spreading, and were wrapping some of the ancient giants in protective foil.
