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California wildfires threaten famous Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park

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Noah Berger/AP
A helicopter prepares to drop water on the KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. The blaze is burning near the Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 giant sequoias.
Western Wildfires
Posted at 1:27 PM, Sep 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-16 18:24:41-04

THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters have wrapped the base of the world’s largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket as they try to save a famous grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias from wildfires burning in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

A fire spokeswoman says the fire is expected to reach the grove of 2,000 trees sometime Thursday.

The base of the colossal General Sherman Tree, some of the other giant sequoias and buildings in the Giant Forest have been wrapped as protection against the possibility of intense flames.

Another fire to the south has burned into a grove in Giant Sequoia National Monument, but officials haven't been able to assess the damage yet.

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