FRESNO, Calif. — The battle against the raging wildfire burning in eastern Fresno County took a turn in favor of firefighters.

Officials said Wednesday that the Garnet Fire’s activity decreased due to lower temperatures and higher humidity recoveries Tuesday night.

The southern portion of the fire had been contained and crews felt strong that the northwest area of the fire also was getting close to being contained, reducing the threat of the fire moving toward Shaver Lake.

“The fire showings from days previously, we’re starting to contain that and hold it,” said Donald Fregulia, operations section chief. “We’re starting to gain that good containment here, knowing Shaver Lake is out to the northwest. And knowing that’s a high, high priority for us to this fire and not let it continue to move that way.

“We expect containment to grow.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Garnet Fire had burned 56,795 acres and containment was up slightly to 15%.

Air quality west of the Garnet Fire also improved, even areas closer to the wildfire.

The winds have been pushing the smoke in a northern direction, allowing for air quality in the Fresno area to be measured as good.

Closer by, Shaver Lake and Pine Flat Lake were experiencing good to moderate air quality, according to the U.S. Forest Service-Sierra National Forest.

Protecting Sequoia trees

While some fire is considered healthy for giant Sequoias to thrive, these ancient trees still need some protection against wildfire.

And with the Garnet Fire entering the southern edge of the 100-acre McKinley Grove, which is a concentration area of old-growth Sequoias, firefighters have been manning the area to ensure protection and reduce fire intensity.

“That grove did see some low-to-moderate fire intensities,” Fregulia said. “It has moved through the entire grove. We’re in there with boots on the ground, trying to cool down those roots.

“Sequoias are a fire-adaptive species. They need fire to reproduce. And so as the fire continues to move through that grove, what we’re doing is we’re making sure that the roots get cool down as soon as possible. ... Make sure that we limit the mortality in the Sequoia grove.”

Firefighters have been using water tenders to keep the roots of the trees cool.

Firefighters are facing dangers while trying to protect the Sequoias, Fregulia said.

“It’s a very dangerous place. These trees — some of them are 2,000 to 3,000 years old. When you’ve been growing for that long, you have lots of dead component in you. Stuff is falling out of those trees, and so it’s a hazardous work environment within the grove.

“We’re making sure that we’re keeping the troops safe as well as protecting those big ancient trees.”

Around-the-clock efforts already had been underway to protect the Sequoias within the McKinley Grove.

Smoke jumpers were requested to help put out some fires burning up high in trees.

Firefighters also places sprinklers in key areas within McKinley Grove to lessen damage to the trees.

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