Thousands of families have been evacuated from mountain homes in California as a new rapidly-spreading wildfire edged closer to a famous grove of ancient redwood trees.
More than 2,200 firefighters mounted an all-out defence of Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, as flames came within a mile of the famous General Grant tree - the tallest giant sequoia in the world.
Fire command spokesman Paul Garnier said while giant sequoias are naturally flame-resistant, they were hoping to protect the grove as it is one of the park's major draws for tourists.
Nicknamed the Rough Fire, the blaze is currently ranked as California's largest active fire, having torched more than 119,000 acres of land.
While the park officially remained open, all roads leading to Kings Canyon have been closed since Thursday, with park staff and nearby residents evacuated.
It comes after a summer of wildfires which have ravaged much of the USA's west coast, amid a drought which left the land dry and vulnerable to sparks.
Another smaller - but fast-moving - blaze, named the Butte Fire, has destroyed dozens of homes and outbuildings since breaking out on Wednesday near the former gold mining town of Jackson, in the same mountain range around 100 miles north of the Rough Fire.
A state of emergency has been declared in Amador and Calaveras counties, as some 6,000 homes came under threat from the rapidly spreading flames.
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