Washburn Fire
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The Washburn Fire was a
wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
that burned in
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...
near the
Mariposa Grove Mariposa Grove is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California, United States, in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of giant sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature specimens. Two of its trees ...
of
giant sequoias ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...
. The fire was reported on July 7, 2022, in the lower Mariposa Grove area near the Washburn trail, for which the fire is named. The fire quickly attracted national attention due in part to the role the Mariposa Grove played in the establishment of Yosemite National Park and the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
. The cause of the fire was referred to as a "human-start". The fire caused evacuations of Wawona and impacted tourism and air quality in the
Sierra National Forest Sierra National Forest is a U.S. national forest located on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada in California, bounded on the northwest by Yosemite National Park and on the south by Kings Canyon National Park. The forest is known for ...
and surrounding communities. The fire was fully contained and was put out on August 1 and burned a total area of .


Progression

The Washburn Fire was reported in the afternoon of July 7, 2022, near the Washburn Trail in the
Mariposa Grove Mariposa Grove is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California, United States, in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of giant sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature specimens. Two of its trees ...
area of
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...
. Approximately 450 visitors were evacuated before tanker airplanes were cleared to drop wildfire retardant in the area of the grove. On July 13, the fire expanded into the
Sierra National Forest Sierra National Forest is a U.S. national forest located on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada in California, bounded on the northwest by Yosemite National Park and on the south by Kings Canyon National Park. The forest is known for ...
, traveling up the
Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...
drainage and away from Mariposa Grove. On that day, the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
assistant press secretary stated that "We are closely monitoring the Yosemite wildfire, and the President has been briefed." By July 18, almost 1,600 firefighters were assigned to the fire with an estimated cost of fighting the fire up to that point estimated at $16.3 million.


Effects


Closures

The Mariposa Grove and South Entrance to Yosemite National Park, along Highway 41, were closed. A mandatory evacuation order was given for the Wawona area, including the historic
Wawona Hotel The Wawona Hotel, located in southern Yosemite National Park, California, is a historic late Victorian era, Victorian mountain resort and one of the largest intact hotels of its kind within a national park. Originally established in the 1850s a ...
. Wawona residents and property owners were allowed to return on Sunday, July 17 as the fire exceeded fifty percent containment and continued to burn mostly to the east of the community. The Mariposa Grove reopened to the public on August 3, 2022.


Environmental

The Washburn Fire threatened the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove, which has some of the world's largest and most visited trees, including the
Grizzly Giant The Grizzly Giant is a massive Sequoiadendron giganteum, giant sequoia located in Mariposa Grove within Yosemite National Park. Famous for its impressive size and age, the Grizzly Giant has been a symbol of the park since tourism began. The Grizzl ...
. On July 9, fire crews acted to protect the trees, spraying the trees with hoses. Protective, fire-resistant material was also wrapped around the trunks. Additional preventative measures were taken on July 11, including a
fire sprinkler system A fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection method, consisting of a water supply system providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, to which fire sprinklers are connected. Although initially used on ...
to increase
relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
around the Grizzly Giant and the wrapping of the historic
Galen Clark Galen Clark (March 28, 1814 – March 24, 1910) was a British North American-born American conservationist and writer. He is known as the first European American to discover the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees, and is notable for his ro ...
cabin. Fire preparation measures, including fuel reduction over the past 50 years and the restoration of
hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...
during the Mariposa Grove Restoration Project, have been effective in preventing permanent damage to sequoias exposed to the fire, which include the Galen Clark Tree.


Growth and containment


See also

* 2022 California wildfires *
List of California wildfires This is a partial and incomplete list of wildfires in the US state of California. California has dry, windy, and often hot weather conditions from spring through late autumn that can produce moderate to severe wildfires. Pre-1800, when the a ...


References

{{Yosemite National Park 2022 California wildfires 2022 meteorology July 2022 in the United States August 2022 in the United States Wildfires in Mariposa County, California Sierra National Forest Yosemite National Park