Sequoia National Park’s giant trees at risk as fires grow
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – Fire crews moved to ramp up the battle Wednesday against two expanding forest fires threatening Sequoia National Park’s giant sequoia trees and infrastructure.
The Colony and Paradise fires, ignited by lightning strikes last week, covered about 11 square miles in California’s steep Sierra Nevada.
The Colony Fire was a threat to Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 sequoias, but not imminently, said Mark Ruggiero, fire information officer for Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.
The fires are among the latest in a long summer of blazes that have scorched more than 3,500 square miles in California, destroying hundreds of homes.