Crews Guard Ancient Sequoias From Wildfire

(AP) - Firefighters battling a wildfire near Yosemite National Park are working to safeguard a 2,700-year-old grove of giant sequoia and a pair of historic cabins inside it.

Fire spokeswoman Anne Grandy said Sunday that the 9-square-mile (23-square-kilometer) wildfire has charred the ground in Nelder Grove, but the more than 100 giant sequoia there remain untouched.

Giant sequoias are some of the world's oldest and largest inhabitants. Nelder Grove includes giant sequoia reaching more than 20 stories high, and measuring as much as 100 feet around.

Grandy says firefighters also have wrapped two 19th-century cabins and their outhouse in shiny, fire-resistant material to protect them from the flames.

The fire spokeswoman says the giant sequoia grove has survived thousands of fires. She says saving the giant trees and the cabins from this one is a priority