California wildfires surge toward giant sequoia groves

Weather forecast may cause more dangers towards groves

THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP) — 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.