Wildfire threatens ancient stand of giant sequoias in California

A wildfire in California is threatening giant sequoia trees more than 2,000 years old as it reaches the McKinley Grove in the centre of the state.

The Garnet Fire has reached the grove, which contained around 165 of the trees, also known as giant redwoods, some 300 kilometres south-east of San Francisco, on Monday.

The fire has been burning in the Sierra National Forest for the past two weeks.

Over recent days, sprinkler systems had been installed to keep the area around the trees damp, and some of the trunks had been wrapped in fire-resistant foil.

Dry material near the trees had been removed.

This failed to stop sparks reaching several crowns on Monday, setting them alight, according to forestry officials.

Firefighters with special climbing equipment were reported to be on their way to the area.

Giant sequoias grow only in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, reaching up to 3,400 years in age and more than 80 metres in height.

Their thick barks measuring up to 46 centimetres make them fire resistant and they need fire to propagate.

Extreme heat leads their cones to open and the seeds to take root in the mineral-rich soil left by the fire.

Wildfires have increased in frequency and extent, and according to the Save the Redwoods League conservation organisation, around 20 per cent of all mature giant sequoias had been destroyed since 2015.

The Garnet Fire erupted on Aug. 24, following a lightning strike and had since spread across more than 185 square kilometres.

Dozens of fires of various sizes had currently been active in California.

A fire in Los Angeles in January left a trail of devastation, with 16,000 buildings burnt down and at least 31 people killed.