Fire Threatens Grove of Giant Sequoia

Hikers have been evacuated and more than 500 fire personnel called in to a blaze that threatened a portion of the Sequoia National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service said Monday.

The blaze, dubbed the George Fire, has grown to more than 1,600 acres in the Giant Sequoia National Monument.

Officials said that the fire continued Mondyay afternoon to burn away from the popular George Bush Tree and Freeman Creek Grove.

Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service have evacuated hikers along the Lloyd Meadow Road and at the Jerkey Meadow and Forks of the Kern Trailheads.

But Fire Information Officer Denise Alonzo said emergency crews were still trying to notify backcountry travelers in the Golden Trout Wilderness in Tulare County that they should get out.

This is the first time in 140 years that fire has threatened this part of the forest.

Officials expect strong winds and low humidity, conditions that could make the fire more difficult to get under control. The blaze was described as "moderate" with erratic behavior in the afternoons due to gusting winds up to 15 mph.

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