White House monitoring Yosemite wildfire
The Washburn Fire is threatening the park's sequoias
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The White House said that it was closely monitoring a wildfire burning in Yosemite National Park.
White House assistant press secretary Abdullah Hasan tweeted Wednesday that President Biden had been briefed on the Washburn Fire and its impact on the park.
"Efforts to protect the Giant Sequoias and the historic structures include removing hazardous fuels, deploying temporary sprinkler systems and utilizing protective structure wrap on tree bases," he wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Abdullah thanked federal, state and local first responders.
INTENTIONAL FIRES HELPED SAVE YOSEMITE SEQUOIAS FROM WILDFIRE, ECOLOGIST SAYS
"We know climate change is making wildfires more intense. That is why @POTUS has made tackling the climate crisis a top priority," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Yosemite Fire and Aviation Management, the fire has spread over 3,221 acres and is 22% contained.
Nearly 650 firefighters are assigned to the wildfire.
Personnel made progress on the blaze earlier this week, but the flames have posed a danger to the more than 500 mature sequoias in the park's Mariposa Grove.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTERS MAKE PROGRESS ON YOSEMITE WILDFIRE THREATENING SEQUOIAS
In addition, the large mid-elevation basin of Wawona has been evacuated, and the southern area was closed to visitors.
There were no reports of severe damage to any named trees in Mariposa Grove.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) increased the national preparedness level on Tuesday, due to "significant fire activity increasing in multiple geographic areas and more competition for national resources."
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Nearly 6,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents across the country.