Fierce Firefight Waged To Save Giant Sequoias As Wildfires Rage Across CA

Firefighters in California have mounted a fierce battle as the monster Garnet Fire entered the McKinley Grove in the Sierra National Forest this week, threatening the largest trees on the planet.

The 50,000-acre Garnet Fire in Fresno County is one of more than a dozen major wildfires burning throughout California. Burning for nearly two weeks, the blaze set off a dramatic scramble Monday to save the Giant Sequoias, which took centuries to reach their towering heights. Crews put up a ground fight for as long as they could Monday but were forced to retreat and rely on extraordinary measures put in place before the flames entered the grove.

Saving The Giants

More than 200 giant trees are scattered across the grove, and flying embers set branches on fire Monday.

"Preparations had been made well in advance of this event and firefighters had installed sprinkler system – running 24 hours a day – removed heavy fuel build up from the base of the trees and used a mix of hand clearing and mechanical clearing to eliminate excess fuels in the area," the U.S. Forest Service announced. "Embers from the advancing fire front did get lodged in some of the branches of several trees. Crews remained in place to defend the grove until it was unsafe to do so. Smokejumpers have been called in and will attempt to climb the trees to extinguish the embers."

The damage to the famed giants wasn't immediately known Tuesday afternnon.

"Despite the best efforts of firefighters on the ground, several spot fires did get established north of McKinley Grove Road in and around the grove of Giant Sequoias," the forest service warned. "Crews continue to work to contain these spots today as well as employing aggressive firefighting tactics throughout the perimeter of the fire."

Dozens Of Lighting Strike Fires Burn Across California

Lightning caused the Garnet Fire on Aug. 24 east of Fresno in the Sierra National Forest.

As of 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, the fire was 14 percent contained and had spread to 54,925 acres, officials said.

Cal Fire reported that the priority was to defend Tribal and cultural resources and the McKinley Grove of Giant Sequoias.

The fire was active over Monday night, but fire officials said it decreased some when the humidity increased.

On Sept. 2, lighting started another fire. This time it was east of Modesto in a Gold Rush town first settled by Chinese miners in the 1850s. The unincorporated area known as China Camp saw the TCU September Lighting Complex Fire grow to 40,000 acres on Wednesday.

The quick-moving fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills threatened the few remaining historic structures in Chinese Camp, forced the evacuation of its roughly 100 residents and closed a highway that’s a main route between San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.

The fire is now 89 percent contained and is now listed at less than 14,000 acres.

A large amount of lightning strikes ignited at least 22 fires recently in Calaveras, Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials.

According to Cal Fire, one firefighter has been injured and the fire has destroyed 95 structures and damaged seven more.

On Sept. 2, near Coalinga, the Salt 14-2 fire started. It is now 40 percent contained and mapped at 25,580 acres, according to Cal Fire.

The Gifford Fire started on Aug. 1 in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Cal Fire reported it is 98 percent contained and mapped at 131,614 acres.