US: World’s oldest trees damaged in Yosemite wildfire

After a swiftly spreading wildfire ravaged the well-liked hiking and camping location in the United States, hundreds of firemen were sent to Yosemite National Park in California to save some of the oldest and largest trees in the world.

In spite of the firemen “proactively defending” the forest, the fire is believed to have spread across 2,340 acres in a day, more than doubling its size, and just 25% of it has been contained, according to authorities.

According to Yosemite Fire Information spokeswoman Nancy Phillipe, “We are doing all we can to put this fire out,” including using air tankers and helicopters alongside ground firefighters.

Residents and campers in the region were evacuated. Even when thick smoke blocked out picturesque views and led to poor air quality, the vast park remained open to tourists.

One of the most popular tourist destinations is Yosemite National Park, which is situated in California. The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, the park’s biggest sequoia grove, is located there. More than 500 mature giant sequoias, including the 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant tree, can be found in Yosemite’s southern tree forest.

As smoke rises through the tall sequoia trees, videos and pictures making the rounds online demonstrate the enormity of the fire.

In the United States, InciWeb, an interagency all-risk incident information management system, stated in an incident update that “a complete initial attack response was deployed involving Yosemite National Park Fire resources and state and local cooperators.”

Thursday afternoon saw the initial news of the Washburn fire. A ground-based sprinkler system is one of the tools being used by 545 firemen to put out the fire.

According to an update from Yosemite’s fire management, authorities are now hoping that a rise in humidity in the region around the trees, along with the elimination of ground fuels, will lower the chance of a ground fire.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the authorities. It now covers around 9.5 square kilometers.

Due to the state’s arid climate, wildfires occur frequently, but over the past ten years as temperatures have risen, they have become an increasingly prevalent sight.