If a few days ago the threat was hovered over one of the California vacation paradises, Lake Tahoe, this week the almost permanent fire waves is pointing directly to another of the great natural treasures of the golden state: its sequoias forest. The fear of the authorities is that the flames can reach the giant trees visited by millions of tourists every year, some 2,500 years old.
Already last year 10% of that population were consumed, a scenario that could be aggravated in the coming days. The fire progresses in the direction of the most precious specimens of the Sequoais National Park, such as General Sherman, considered the largest tree in the world and one of the oldest. Firemen have proceeded to wrap it with an aluminum layer as a precautionary measure.
On Friday, the KNP Complex fire - a combination of the Paradise and Colony - had already consumed 45 square kilometers of land, without a containment despite the 350 firefighters intended in the area to fight the flames, in addition to a team of helicopters and aircraft . "It is a very significant area for much, many people, so it is going to put a special effort to protect this forest," said Los Angeles Times Rebecca Paterson, spokesman for the Sequoia National Parks and Kings Canyon.
In favor, they have the great capacity of fire resistance of these trees up to 11 meters in diameter and 83 meters high. So far they have managed to survive for centuries despite the scourge of the fires of recent years, fueled by drought, high temperatures derived from global warming and thunderstorms.
This year is on the way to beat a new record. More than 7,400 fires have devastated about 900,000 hectares, with the most devastating 2021 still active, the Dixie, 88% controlled after calculating some 400,000 hectares since it was declared active on July 13.
Date Of Update: 21 September 2021, 02:40
