Photos: Wildfire threatens Yosemite National Park's sequoias
A heat wave was developing in California on Monday but winds were light as firefighters battled a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park.
Seen from unincorporated Mariposa County, Calif., a helicopter drops water on the Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite National Park, Saturday, July 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
In this photo released by the National Park Service, the Washburn Fire burns near the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Thursday, July 7, 2022. (National Park Service via AP)
In this photo released by the National Park Service, smoke from the Washburn Fire rises near the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Thursday, July 7, 2022. A portion of Yosemite National Park has been closed as a wildfire rages near a grove of California's famous giant sequoia trees, officials said. (National Park Service via AP)
In this photo released by the National Park Service, firefighters make their way toward the Mariposa Grove as the Washburn Fire burns in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Thursday, July 7, 2022. A portion of Yosemite National Park has been closed as a wildfire rages near a grove of California's famous giant sequoia trees, officials said. (National Park Service via AP)
In this photo released by the National Park Service, a firefighter sprays water on a sequoia tree near the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove as smoke rises from the Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Thursday, July 7, 2022. A portion of Yosemite National Park has been closed as a wildfire rages near a grove of California's famous giant sequoia trees, officials said. (National Park Service via AP)
In this image provided by the National Park Service, a firefighter walks near the Mariposa Grove as the Washburn Fire burns in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Thursday, July 7, 2022. A portion of Yosemite National Park has been closed as a wildfire rages near a grove of California's famous giant sequoia trees, officials said. (National Park Service via AP)
In this image released by the National Park Service, smoke from the Washburn Fire rises near the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Thursday, July 7, 2022. Part of Yosemite National Park has been closed as a wildfire quintupled in size near a grove of California's famous giant sequoia trees, officials said. (National Park Service via AP)
In this image released by the National Park Service, smoke rises from the Washburn Fire near the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Friday, July 8, 2022. Part of Yosemite National Park has been closed as a wildfire quintupled in size near a grove of California's famous giant sequoia trees, officials said. (National Park Service via AP)
Viewed from Oakhurst in Madera County, Calif., a plume rises from the Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite National Park on Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter protects a sequoia tree as the Washburn Fire burns in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter protects a sequoia tree as the Washburn Fire burns in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighters protect a sequoia tree as the Washburn Fire burns in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The Washburn Fire burns in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Park officials are temporarily closing much of the famed Yosemite Valley due to a forecast of flooding as rising temperatures are expected to melt the massive snowpack accumulated in California’s mountains from a series of winter storms.
Five years ago, a tragic environmental story unfolded when thousands of giant sequoia trees, an iconic California species that can live for 3,000 years, were killed during multiple large wildfires.