Yosemite Fire 34% Contained, 50 Homes Remain Under Evacuation Orders

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Fire crews are working to keep a blaze in Yosemite National Park away from a grove of treasured giant sequoia trees.

Park spokesman Scott Gediman said Wednesday there was no imminent threat to Merced Grove.

The El Portal - Yosemite Fire was about 10 miles away, and crews were reinforcing old containment lines to prevent it from getting to the trees.

Merced Grove is among three stands of giant sequoias in the park. The towering trees grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and are among the largest and oldest living things on earth.

Gediman said about 50 homes remained under evacuation orders. The fire, which began on Saturday, has burned through more than 5 square miles. It was 34 percent contained.

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or Redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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