THREE RIVERS, Calif. — Crews are watching the weather this weekend as they battle two California wildfires that have burned into groves of gigantic sequoia trees.
The National Weather Service has issued a weather watch for dry, windy conditions in the Sequoia National Park in the Sierra Nevada, where two lightning-caused fires merged Friday and reached the western tip of the Giant Forest, a grove of 2,000 giant sequoias.
Firefighters have wrapped the base of the General Sherman Tree — the world's largest tree — in fire-resistant aluminum.
Another fire in the area has burned into the Giant Sequoia National Monument, but firefighters haven’t been able to determine how much damage was done.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
RELATED VIDEO: Crews respond to fire along NB I-196