California firefighters wrap base of world’s largest tree in fireproof blankets as wildfires near

California firefighters are wrapping fireproof aluminum blankets around the bases of several giant trees in Sequoia National Park, including the 275-foot General Sherman—the world’s largest—to protect them from the KNP Complex Fire.

The park closed earlier this week, after the fire, sparked by lightning strikes, began to burn through steep canyons. The western U.S. has suffered several large fires this season, including the Dixie Fire, California’s second-largest ever.

“Crews are preparing the Giant Forest before the fire reaches that area, by removing fuel and applying structure wrap on some of the iconic monarch sequoias that characterize the most famous area of Sequoia National Park,” the National Park Service said in a statement. “The fire continues to grow in all directions.”