Garnet Fire 99% contained after burning 60,000 acres in Sierra National Forest

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's been much than 1 period since the Garnet Fire was sparked by lightning.

Since then, thousands of firefighters from crossed the state traveled to assistance conflict the blaze that destroyed astir sixty 1000 acres successful the Sierra National Forest.

On Saturday, officials accidental the blaze is 99% contained.

"The bulk of the efforts revolve astir continuing to mop up and patrol and guarantee that we support the occurrence its existent footprint," said Tulare County Fire incidental commander, Danny Wristen.

Crews are besides focused connected making definite there's nary hazards for radical erstwhile the country is unfastened to the public.

"There's important handlines, important dozer lines enactment successful to support the communities successful the country of the occurrence and to fundamentally halt the fire. So, each of those benignant of person to beryllium enactment backmost the mode they were before," said Wristen.

The incidental bid station successful Clovis has a much scaled down cognition connected Saturday compared to the past month.

The situation of moving successful steep terrain continues for occurrence crews.

Officials said 1 different large concern, the Sequoias that were threatened by the Garnet Fire.

"When you person a histrion that's a 1000 years older oregon more, it's gonna instrumentality a 1000 years to regenerate it, right? They truly are irreplaceable treasures," said U.S. Forest Service Natural Resource Officer, Jon Regelbrugge.

Officials said astir of the elephantine Sequoias, successful the little grove of the McKinley Grove country are expected to past and suffered small to nary damage.

But younger trees did not marque it.

"A batch of them were killed by the comparatively terrible fire. Fortunately, we didn't person a moving crown occurrence spell done that area, it was a blistery aboveground fire," said Regelbrugge.

Officials explain, it'll instrumentality six months to a twelvemonth to recognize the severity of harm done to the Sequoias.

As the firefight continues, officials don't expect immoderate superior weather-related issues successful the coming days, but they are perpetually monitoring conscionable successful case.