This past Friday, one wildfire that has been devastating central California has finally reached one of the main attractions for Yosemite National Park as groups of firefighters struggle to hold back the inferno that has managed to clear away well over 700 acres.
Titled the Washburn Fire, the blaze started over in the southern part of Yosemite this past Thursday and has worked its way up to the famous Mariposa Grove after expanding to over five times it initial size by Friday morning, claimed park officials, as reported by SFGate.
On Friday evening, park officials ordered the total evacuation of the area as firefighters try to contain the blaze. “please leave the area immediately,” stated officials. “Utilize Wawona Road (Hwy 41) northbound toward Yosemite Valley. Southbound traffic is closed at the Wawona Golf Course.”
#Washburn fire from the Wawona Golf Course, yesterday evening 7/8/22, Credit Joe Fano pic.twitter.com/idPKMUvauM
— Yosemite Steve (@YosemiteSteve) July 9, 2022
The Mariposa Grove is a massive attraction that encompasses over 500 giant sequoias that have cemented themselves as a favored stopping point for tourists. The grove was officially closed to visitors on Thursday, and well over 1,600 people, for the most part, tourists, were removed from the area through evacuation measures from the close by the community of Wawona, California, the next day, read a report from the Washington Post.
A few of the larger sequoias in the area are known to be well over a thousand years old, and one of the most famous trees in the entire park, the Grizzly Giant, is thought to be almost 2,700 years old. The park recently invested over $40 million into a massive restoration project to protect the Mariposa Grove, highlighted SFGate.
One spokesperson for Yosemite fire information, Nancy Phillipe, stated that as of this past Saturday morning, none of the trees have been harmed, and no one has been injured. Phillipe explained that the firefighter crews were actively protecting the area of the grove on Saturday by spraying down the trees with water and wrapping them in fireproof aluminum material.
“That is one of the main priorities, is protecting that grove and all the history that’s associated with it,” explained Phillipe, as reported by the post.
As of writing, the original cause of the spreading inferno that now threatens the historic giant tree grove is still under heavy investigation.