Story at a glance
- The National Park Service on Thursday closed Yosemite National Park’s Mariposa Grove, home to more than 500 giant sequoias.
- NPS said in a social media statement that the fire, spanning an estimated 60 to 70 acres, is burning near the lower portion of Mariposa Grove.
- President Lincoln signed legislation in 1864 protecting the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley for “public use, resort, and recreation.”
The National Park Service on Thursday closed Yosemite National Park’s Mariposa Grove, home to more than 500 giant sequoias, as the Washburn fire nears.
NPS said in a social media statement that the fire, spanning an estimated 60 to 70 acres, is burning near the lower portion of Mariposa Grove.
“Firefighters are suppressing the fire from the ground and air,” the park service wrote on Facebook. “The Mariposa Grove is closed until further notice. All other areas of Yosemite National Park are open.”
President Lincoln signed legislation in 1864 protecting the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley for “public use, resort, and recreation.”
Mariposa Grove underwent a largescale restoration project in 2015 to both improve the sequoias’ habitat and enhance visitor experience. The grove reopened again in 2018.
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Nearly 23,000 acres have been consumed by close to 3,600 fires in California so far this year, according to Cal Fire.
A nationwide report released in May found that 1.6 million properties face an extreme risk of experiencing wildfire over the next 30 years as a result of climate changes.
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