California wildfires make run toward giant sequoia groves

THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP) — Two lightning-sparked wildfires in California merged and made a run to the edge of a grove of ancient sequoias, driving away firefighters as they try to protect the world’s largest tree. Officials said a shift in the weather led to explosive growth on the fires in the Sequoia National Park in the Sierra Nevada on Friday. The flames scorched a grouping of sequoias that mark the entrance to the Giant Forest, a grove of 2,000 sequoias. Firefighters have wrapped the base of the General Sherman Tree — the world’s largest tree — in protective foil. Another fire in the area has burned into the Giant Sequoia National Monument, but it’s unclear how much damage was done.