Here's Why Firefighters Are Wrapping Sequoia Trees In Aluminum Blankets
The sequoias are "wrapped with house-wrapping material, kind of an aluminum-foil fabric that goes around the base of the trees," says Jon Wallace, who is helping to lead the firefighting effort.
The world's largest tree recently got a blanket, to help protect it from a raging wildfire. Photos of the sequoia named General Sherman — with a base measuring a massive 36 feet in diameter — set off a flurry of interest in why and how a blanket might work against flames.
The KNP Complex fire has now burned 23,743 acres and is 0% contained, the park said in an update Monday morning. The fire has grown by thousands of acres in each recent day.
General Sherman looms over the north end of Giant Forest in Sequoia
