Garnet fire burns into grove of giant sequoias; several behemoths are in flames

"A blaze raging through the Sierra National Forest in Fresno County has burned through part of a large grove of giant sequoias, setting at least a few of the rare, towering trees on fire. The Garnet fire, now at more than 49,000 acres, swept through the McKinley grove sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning, according to Jay Tracy, a spokesperson for the fire."

"An inversion layer - a weather phenomenon that acts like a lid on the blaze - lifted and the fire "started throwing some spots," he said, referring to tossing embers that ignite spot fires. In this case, those spot fires were in the tops of trees. An aerial assessment mid-morning Monday showed flames in the crown of one of the giant sequoias, which can grow to more than 300 feet, said Adrienne Freeman, spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service."

"Freeman said she's glad the damage isn't worse. Some people have mistakenly described the fire as a running-crown fire - one of the most destructive kinds - that shoots through the canopies of trees, she said. But it appears the blaze remained on the ground. However, there's nothing stopping new embers from landing in the grove and wreaking havoc. "I'm not breathing a big sigh of relief yet, just because the possibility of embers is not gone," she said."

The Garnet fire spread into the McKinley grove of giant sequoias in the Sierra National Forest, scorching part of the grove and igniting multiple trees. The blaze has consumed more than 49,000 acres and moved into the grove overnight. A weather inversion lifted, allowing embers to create spot fires that reached tree crowns, and aerial assessment observed flames in at least one sequoia crown. Specialized wildland firefighters with tree-climbing expertise are being dispatched to the grove. The fire remained primarily on the ground rather than becoming a running-crown fire, but ember-driven ignitions continue to pose a significant threat.

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