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Washburn Fire Continues To Grow Out Of Control At Yosemite National Park

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By Kurt Repanshek - July 11th, 2022

The Washburn Fire at Yosemite National Park continued out of control Monday/NPS

A wildfire threatening the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias at Yosemite National Park continued to grow out of control Monday, spreading to more than 2,300 acres despite the efforts of more than 500 firefighters. However, the fire was said to be moving away from the iconic grove of trees.

Firefighters had set up sprinklers to wet down the sequoia grove, which counts more than 500 mature sequoia trees. These massive trees can grow to be 300 feet high, 35 feet in diameter, and 100 feet in circumference. One of the grove’s largest trees, the Grizzly Giant, is 209 feet tall and an estimated 2,995 years old.  

"The fire actually started on the edge of the Mariposa Grove, but quickly moved north out of the grove," Frank Dean, president and CEO of the Yosemite Conservancy, said Monday in an email to the Traveler. "I know of one medium size sequoia that got scorched, but should be okay. 

"... This was a close call for the Mariposa Grove, but the fire is moving away from it for now," added Dean. "There has also been prescribed fires in the grove almost every year since the late '70's, which should help. But nothing is certain about fire behavior in this new era."

The bulk of the fire, which was spotted last Thursday afternoon, was burning in the Yosemite Wilderness. The blaze led to the evacuation of the Mariposa Grove as well as the Wawona area of the park, and the National Park Service authorized the use of bulldozers to gouge fire lines south and east of the community of Wawona to protect infrastructure," according to Dean. 

Calls to the Yosemite communications office and the fire team's information line for more information were not immediately returned Monday.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, and no estimated date of full containment has been posted.

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