Sharjah24 - AFP: Hundreds of firefighters scrambled Monday to prevent a wildfire engulfing an area of rare giant sequoia trees in California's Yosemite National Park.
The Washburn fire, in the world-renowned Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, was first reported on July 7 and doubled in size over the weekend to 2,340 acres (946 hectares), according to a park report.
Yosemite's fire management service said 545 firefighters were battling the fire, including "proactively protecting" the grove -- the largest group of sequoias in Yosemite, with over 500 mature trees.
The previously out-of-control blaze is now 25 percent contained, but the weather is expected to remain hot and dry for the next few days -- conditions that do not help efforts to curb the flames.
"We are doing everything we can to put this fire out," including deploying air tankers and helicopters along with ground crews, Nancy Phillipe, spokeswoman for Yosemite Fire Information, told AFP.
At the Mariposa Grove -- which remains closed to the public due to the fire -- crews worked to remove quick-burning leaves, sticks and branches as well as drenching the ground and giant sequoias. Large plumes of gray-white smoke were seen over the imposing trees.
The Yosemite fire service tweeted footage of emergency sprinklers set up specifically to douse the grove's "Grizzly Giant" -- the most renowned sequoia in the park, which is the second largest tree in Yosemite at 209 feet (63 meters), and one of the oldest.
Phillipe said the response team was "feeling confident that we've set up the trees for as much protection as we can" with the recent efforts, aided by previous prescribed burns.
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