Evacuation warnings are being set off in the southern part of California, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. The fires have been getting worse and worse each day they burn, and residents near Sequoia’s area are still being evacuated from their homes. Most are being told to prepare for the worst, and when the time comes to “evacuate if it becomes necessary,” Tulare County Sheriff’s Office responded. The question we must be asking here, how much longer can this go on for? What can we do to support everyone in this tragic event? 

It was said to believe that the fire was sparked by a multitude of thunderstorms in the night, sending in tons of lightning strikes over Sequoia’s National Park, and near multiple other mountains in the area. These bolts of lightning had violent strikes in Sequoia, and started a fire overnight that had dense, thick smoke, and residents had to immediately leave their area when the morning light started to shine in. 

The fire currently has burned more than 21,773 acres, and it doesn’t show signs of stopping. However, to give some examples on why this fire could be bad for the Sequoia National Park, we must look into what the park has inside. Sequoia had beautiful tall trees in the park, which were the main attraction of the area. 

The sequoia trees were said to be 3,000 years old, and grew to over 250 feet. Decorated in an orange hue, the sequoia tree is popular among many guests that visit. This made people that work at the national park afraid that the trees would not survive this fire. So, the main purpose is to put out this deadly fire that could grow easily if not cared for. However, they must also try to protect the sequoia trees that are a long-standing symbol of the history of the Sequoia National Park. All in all, the Sequoia National Park rangers and firefighters have two things to worry about at the same time, “…the current climate and how fires have been burning these last two years.” Ruggiero, a fire information officer working with Sequoia National Park, responded to the late questions and theories that may generate from the event. 

Ruggiero with past knowledge stated that the sequoia trees needed fire to reproduce in order to actually both grow and sprout new sequoia trees, and that these trees were naturally fire resistant. However, people fear that these trees may not survive this savage fire. These sequoia trees have been wrapped up in aluminum-based burn-resistant materials that cover the whole tree, from top to bottom. Clayton Jordan, a superintendent of both the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, responded to multiple reporters for a news station with questions about the fires, and stated that “Our primary focus is on protection of the communities and always will be.”