Jul 8, 2022 - Energy & Environment

Wildfire threatens giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park

The boardwalk at Yosemite's Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is viewed on October 6, 2019,

The boardwalk at Yosemite's Mariposa Grove on October 6, 2019. Photo: George Rose/Getty Images

A wildfire is spreading near Yosemite National Park’s famed Mariposa Grove, home to more than 500 giant sequoias, the National Park Service said Thursday.

Driving the news: "The Washburn Fire is burning near the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove. The fire is about estimated at 60 to 70 acres," the park service wrote on Twitter.

  • "Firefighters are suppressing the fire from the ground and air. The Mariposa Grove is closed until further notice. All other areas of Yosemite National Park are open."

The big picture: Wildfires spread across much of the Western United States last summer, forcing thousands of people to flee and the fires claimed a number of homes.

Between the lines: Human-caused global warming is a major factor behind the severity, longevity and frequency of the heat waves in the American West and other parts of the world, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

Go deeper