BOSTON (WHDH) - The race is on to protect the ancient, giant Sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park as flames from the Washburn Fire continue to grow.
Chief Public Affairs officer Yosemite National Park Scott Gediman said the fire has been growing closer to the trees’ grove and right around the surrounding area.
“What we’re doing right now is we’re doing a combination of cutting fire line, looking at burning out some other areas around the Giants,” Gediman said.
The park said it thinks mitigation efforts will protect the three from major damage and that part of the reason they have survived for millennia is that they can handle smaller blazes.
Another major concern as the Washburn Fire grows is unhealthy air quality, even in sections of the park that remain open.
“We’re asking people to just be responsible and if someone has, for example, respiratory issues to be very careful in hiking and choosing activities,” Gediman said.
The smoke reportedly has the potential to worsen air quality as far west as the Bay Area.
The community of Wawona inside Yosemite is under evacuation orders as the fire threatens people and structures in the area.
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