Raging wildfire threatens giant sequoia trees at Yosemite National Park

Man standing with giant sequoias at Yosemite National Park
(Image credit: Getty)

A wildfire is threatening to spread into the Mariposa the Grove at Yosemite National Park, which is home to more than 500 giant sequoia trees. The grove was founded in 1857, but many of the trees are believed to be far older, and some may have stood for over 2,000 years.

Firefighters are currently tackling the Washburn Fire from both the ground and the air. The National Park Service shared a tweet late on 7 July stating that the fire was currently between five and eight acres in size, but CNN reports that it's now grown to cover 60-70 acres.

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The park has issued an alert warning visitors that both the road leading towards the grove is currently closed, but all other areas are currently open. If you're planning a visit, keep an eye on Yosemite's official website for the latest advice.

Cat Ellis
Editor

Cat is the editor of Advnture, She’s been a journalist for 15 years, and was fitness and wellbeing editor on TechRadar before joining the Advnture team in 2022. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better), usually wearing at least two sports watches.