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The Irish Independent reports:
Campsites and lodges have emptied out after disappointed tourists were ordered to leave the heart of Yosemite National Park as firefighters battle to contain a huge wildfire.
The blaze just to the west has threatened the park's forest and sent up smoke that obscured grand vistas [...]
Over nearly two weeks, flames have churned through more than 57 square miles of timber in steep terrain of the Sierra Nevada just west of the park. The fire was just 25% contained on Tuesday.
The US National Park Service has a web page dedicated to the fire; the latest installment reports:
Beginning noon today, July 25, 2018, Yosemite Valley, Wawona, and the Mariposa Grove will be closed to all visitors due to the ongoing impacts of the Ferguson Fire. These closures include all hotels, campgrounds, and visitor services in Yosemite Valley and Wawona. The temporary closure is expected to last until Sunday, July 29, 2018.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 26 2018, @05:22AM (3 children)
I thought they realized that it's natural to have fires (required for giant sequoia germination) and decided to not put them out anymore.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum#Ecology/ [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday July 26 2018, @12:21PM (1 child)
(Score: 3, Touché) by bob_super on Thursday July 26 2018, @05:37PM
Having having observed the local Fauna, I beg to differ.
The less hotels, the better for the plants.
(Score: 2) by toddestan on Friday July 27 2018, @10:46PM
They do realize that fire is an important part of the forest ecosystem, but they prefer to have smaller, controlled burns rather than gigantic, out of control raging infernos. There's also the problem that most fires are human-caused, which is a good reason to put them out - even the naturally occurring ones, as otherwise the forest would be burning way too often.
Finally, in the case of this fire, with it being so hot and dry, it's not a given the trees would survive. Yes, the trees can handle wildfires, but only to a certain point.