California firefighters are racing to protect McKinley Grove, a stand of ancient giant sequoias, as the Garnet Fire pushes deeper into Sierra National Forest. Sparked by lightning on Aug. 24, the wildfire has burned nearly 55,000 acres and is now threatening about 165 of the towering trees, some of them thousands of years old.
To defend the grove, about 65 miles northeast of Fresno, crews set up sprinklers last week to keep the ground moist and raise humidity around the sequoias, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Workers also cleared pine needles and underbrush that could fuel the flames.
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On Monday, embers reached the branches of several trees, forcing firefighters to engage before withdrawing for safety. None of the sequoias were reported to have fully burned. Smokejumpers trained to scale tall trees have been brought in to extinguish smoldering hotspots lodged high in the canopy.
“Even with the team’s heroic efforts, this grove remains highly at risk,” said Ben Bloom of Save the Redwoods League.
How intense is the fire?
The fire produced smoke plumes that climbed more than 30,000 feet on Sunday, a signal of severe fire behavior. More than 2,200 personnel are battling the blaze, and evacuations remain in effect in parts of Fresno County.
Air quality has deteriorated across the region, reaching “very unhealthy” levels in Yosemite Valley and “hazardous” levels in Mammoth Lakes and Bishop. The National Weather Service issued a dense smoke advisory through Tuesday, warning of visibility reduced to a quarter mile and health risks from prolonged exposure.
Why are the sequoias vulnerable?
Giant sequoias grow only on the western side of the Sierra Nevada and can live for millennia. While fire is essential for their reproduction, recent megafires have destroyed nearly 20% of the world’s mature sequoias since 2020.
Researchers say climate change, long droughts and decades of suppressing smaller natural fires have left the forests overgrown and highly flammable. During recent preparations in McKinley Grove, crews even discovered a new sequoia sprout — a reminder of the grove’s ecological importance.
“It’s a very special grove,” Forest Service spokesman Joe Zwierzchowski said, “just like all of the sequoias are special.”
