Garnet Fire Is Closing In: Firefighters Race to Save California’s Ancient Sequoias

The giant sequoias that dot the landscape of California are in danger as a massive wildfire continues to grow. Here is the latest on this developing situation in the Golden State.

Latest Update on the Garnet Fire

The Garnet Fire is endangering a grove of ancient sequoias that are over 2,000 years old. According to the last report from Cal Fire, the Garnet Fire has burned almost 55,000 acres across the Sierra National Forest located east of Fresno. The blaze is only 14% contained as the smoke wafts to the east and into parts of Nevada.

The U.S. Forest Service confirmed that the flames from the Garnet Fire reached McKinley Grove on Monday morning. The grove is home to approximately 165 sequoias that have been around for thousands of years. Fire crews on the scene worked tirelessly to protect the trees using sprinklers and clearing out the underbrush to take away the fuel from the blaze. Cal Fire is also using specialized crew members known as "smokejumpers" to climb the tree trunks and extinguish the burning embers smoldering at the top of the sequoias.

Distinguished as the largest trees in the world, giant sequoias have evolved to withstand some degree of fire danger. However, the recent megafires that have popped up in California have proved to be overwhelming, even for this hardy tree species.

According to a report from the New York Times, wildfires have killed about 20% of all mature sequoias in the state since 2020. Despite being protected from fires for almost a century, McKinley Grove has become more susceptible to fire danger as the trees are becoming increasingly stressed by drought conditions.

Officials believe that the fire behavior over the next few days will be critical in saving the giant sequoias.