“We have hundreds of firefighters who are giving everything they can,” says Mark Jarrett, a rescue service press spokesperson.
The fire, which broke out a little more than a week ago after the lightning, has now spread to more than 4,600 hectares of forest and is now threatening the giant forest in Sequoia National Park, where about 2,000 mammoth trees have been found. Among other things, five of the largest trees on the planet, some of which are about 3,000 years old.
General Sherman, 83 meters tall and the largest in size, was covered with blankets of fire-resistant foil at the bottom to protect his trunks from the worst of fire.
On Friday, the rescue service said they had relative control of the situation, in part through controlled burning that drains the oxygen fire.
The biggest challenge is the terrain, says Mark Jarrett.
Mammoth trees do not reach the same heights as the world famous redwood trees, but they are the largest trees by size.
Small fires usually cannot damage bark protected by thick bark and usually only have branches from 30 meters above the ground, but the larger and warmer flames that devastate parts of the western United States are more dangerous as they can climb higher on logs and in treetop.
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