Firefighters aided by rain fought to contain a massive blaze that swept through the California desert into Nevada and is threatening the region's famous spiky Joshua trees.
MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, California (Reuters) -The largest wildfire in California so far this year has burned precious Joshua trees, a prominent cultural symbol once vital for indigenous people to weave into baskets and sandals and still an important part of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. The York Fire has burned around 94,000 acres (38,000 hectares) near the California-Nevada border and was 34% contained as of Thursday, Calfire said. The fire has damaged a diverse ecosystem and killed an unknown number of Joshua trees, which also gained international fame from the U2 album "The Joshua Tree" released in 1987.
Firefighters battling a large whirl-spawning wildfire in California and southern Nevada are facing challenging conditions as the blaze spreads and threatens iconic desert Joshua trees.