A wildfire that broke out in Yosemite National Park on Thursday continues to rip through an area with lots of dead trees, prompting more evacuations in Wawona and Wawona Campground Friday afternoon.
“Please leave the area immediately,” officials said. “Take Wawona Road (Hwy 41) north toward Yosemite Valley. Southbound traffic is closed at Wawona Golf Course.”
As of 5 p.m. Friday, the Washburn fire had burned 466 acres, up from 250 acres earlier in the day. Park spokesman Scott Gediman told SFGATE Friday morning that the flames had reached Mariposa Grove’s famous Lower Grove. There are no details yet on the extent of the damage in the grove, which remains closed until further notice. Firefighters can’t get the fire under control.
A view of the Washburn Fire on Friday, July 8, 2022, currently burning in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove, an area known as the park’s largest grove of giant sequoias.
Yosemite Fire and Aviation
According to the park service, the fire started around 2 p.m. Thursday near the Washburn Trail and is burning in an area of ”mixed timber with significant dead/fallen” trees. Current evacuation orders cover the Mariposa Grove area, Wawona, a small community of more than 100 people, and Wawona Campground, which has about 100 campsites. The fire is also causing road closures in the area, so visitors should check before entering the park. You can find an evacuation map here.
One of the most popular visitor attractions in Yosemite National Park, Mariposa Grove has more than 500 mature giant sequoias. Giant sequoias are the largest trees in the world, and there are trees in the grove that may be thousands of years old. One of the most famous trees, the towering Grizzly Giant, is estimated to be 2,700 years old. Mariposa Grove was previously closed for three years, from 2015 to 2018, for a $40 million restoration project.
In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act into law, protecting the land, including Mariposa Grove, for the public and future generations. The bill would inspire what would become the National Park System.
The Washburn Fire is burning in Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite National Park
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The cause of the fire is under investigation. You can check AlertWildfire’s live cameras to watch the fire progress.
This is a developing story and information will be added as it becomes available.
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