The fire quickly spread amid hot and dry weather conditions and grew to 2,000 acres on Sunday, up from 466 acres recorded on Friday, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Nearby communities were forced to evacuate their homes and campsites Friday night.
Over 500 mature giant sequoias are located in the southern portion of Yosemite at the the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, which is the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite and includes the 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant.
The fire was first reported in the Mariposa Grove on Thursday.
A firefighter protects a sequoia tree as the Washburn Fire burns in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Friday, July 8, 2022.
The Washburn Fire burns next to a roadway north of the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Monday, July 11, 2022. A heat wave was developing in California on Monday but winds were light as firefighters battled a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park.
Viewed from Oakhurst in Madera County, Calif., a plume rises from the Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite National Park on Friday, July 8, 2022.
The Washburn Fire burns in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Friday, July 8, 2022.
Smoke rises from the Washburn Fire near the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Friday, July 8, 2022. Part of Yosemite National Park has been closed as a wildfire quintupled in size near a grove of California's famous giant sequoia trees, officials said.
In this image provided by the National Park Service, a firefighter walks near the Mariposa Grove as the Washburn Fire burns in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Thursday, July 7, 2022. 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.
Smoke from the Washburn Fire rises near the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Thursday, July 7, 2022.
Camille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY's NOW team.
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