Sequoia National Park's giant trees at risk as fires grow
ABC News
More firefighting resources are being brought in to battle two forest fires that have shut down California's Sequoia National Park and are threatening its ancient trees
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. -- More firefighting resources were being brought in Thursday to battle two forest fires that have shut down California's Sequoia National Park and threaten its ancient trees.
A national interagency management team “equipped to handle the largest and highest-complexity emergency situations” was scheduled to take command of the firefighting effort, according to a statement from Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.
The Colony and Paradise fires named for the areas where they started were ignited by lightning strikes last week and on Wednesday covered about 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada.
The Colony Fire as of Wednesday was about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from Giant Forest, a grove of about 2,000 sequoias, according to Mark Ruggiero, fire information officer for the two national parks.
