THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP) — Hot, dry weather added to the challenges facing California firefighters who are battling to keep flames from driving further into a grove of ancient sequoias, where the base of the world's tallest tree has been wrapped in protective foil.
Fire officials warn that stronger winds Sunday are also contributing to "critical fire conditions" in the area of the KNP Complex, two lightning-sparked blazes that merged on the western side of Sequoia National Park in the Sierra Nevada.
More than 34 square miles of forest land have been blackened.
