Wildfire rages near Yosemite grove of giant sequoia trees

WAWONA, Calif. (AP) — A portion of Yosemite National Park has been closed as a wildfire rages near a grove of California’s famous giant sequoia trees, officials said.

The Washburn fire forced park officials on Thursday to close Mariposa Grove, which is the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite and features more than 500 mature giant sequoias.

It was not immediately clear whether any of the trees were burned in the wildfire. The rest of the park remains open.

Firefighters were working from the ground and the air to contain the blaze in the southern part of the national park, officials said in a tweet Thursday.

Scott Gediman, a spokesperson for Yosemite, told the Los Angeles Times the wildfire had grown to 60 to 70 acres (24.28 to 28.33 hectares) around 7 p.m. Thursday.

Gediman did not immediately return The Associated Press’ requests for comment Friday morning.