An out-of-control wildfire is threatening a grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park and it's prompted evacuations orders for hundreds of people.
Lightning-sparked wildfires over the past two years have killed up to a fifth of the estimated 75,000 large sequoias, which are the biggest trees by volume.
Evacuation orders were issued Friday for the grove along with the nearby community of Wawona — which is surrounded by the park — and the Wawona Campground, where about 600 to 700 people were staying in a campground, cabins and an historic hotel. The downed trees, along with massive numbers of pines killed by bark beetles, provided ample fuel for the flames, but winds Friday were calm and the fire was not spreading rapidly.
“When the unwanted fires hit those areas, it tends to slow the rate of spread and helps us gain some control,” Phillipe said.
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