Sequoias Burn and Four Are Injured in California Wildfire
- Thousands of firefighters battle blaze in a national park
- Rain and snow across eastern part of state could damp flames
A California wildfire that’s been raging since last month at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park appears to have killed hundreds of historic trees, including one that fell Thursday and injured four people.
The victims were flown to hospitals by helicopter and, while seriously injured, are in stable condition, park officials said in a Tweet. The fire began Sept. 10 after a lightning strike. It has burned at least 85,952 acres (34,800 hectares) and is being fought by more than 2,000 firefighters and crew members, according to Inciweb, a national fire tracker.
“There are some groves in the park that we suspect burned at high enough intensity to result in sequoia mortality, possible for significant numbers of trees (hundreds),” the National Park Service said in a Facebook post. “It is not safe right now, nor is it our current priority to fully assess the groves that burned.”
Read More: California Fire Threat Mounts as Dry Winds Start to Rise