The fire started on Thursday, but the cause is still unknown. It reached Mariposa Grove, which includes Yosemite Park. This park is renowned for its many redwoods and is one of the most visited in the country. The fire is the largest in the world. According to the latest report, the forest fire, initially considered uncontrollable, was contained by 25% Monday afternoon after having consumed approximately 950 hectares. Native American tribes in the area have long practiced controlled fires, which are meant to clear the undergrowth and consume dead trunks and brushwood that have fallen to ground. This is all to reduce the intensity of forest fires.
California is currently in the grips of a drought that is breaking records. In recent years, wildfires in the American West have been of extraordinary intensity and magnitude. There has also been a significant increase in fire season length. Nancy Phillipe, Yosemite's spokeswoman for information on fires, said that it is only July. "Every year, we feel like it's going be a long fire season. And the seasons keep getting longer.
The Washburn Fire is active again, with the late afternoon temperatures rising and the inversion lifting. As the fire awakens, crews and aircraft continue to work in Yosemite. This was sent in by a Substack subscriber.
The giant sequoias can be damaged by low-intensity fires. Their thick bark and first branches, which can reach thirty meters in height, are well-adapted to such disasters. These redwoods, on the other hand, need fires to reproduce. The heat of the flames causes fallen cones to explode like popcorn and release hundreds of seeds. These giants, which are found only in California, cannot withstand the intense fires that have been erupting in recent years because of climate change.
The Washburn Fire: Springville Hotshots and other crews have begun to "box in" this fire. The fire is currently burning in Yosemite National Park, and has been mapped at 1,871 acres. Thank you to Substack subscribers for the video
