(Bloomberg) -- Firefighters are gaining ground on the blaze threatening an ancient grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park.

Crews started clearing dead trees and brush out of the historic Mariposa Grove and began building a line around the nearby town of Wawona, California, to hold back the flames, according to Matt Ahearn, an operations section chief battling the blaze. The few hundred residents of Wawona were evacuated earlier. 

“This fire is not moving quickly at all,” Ahearn said in a public meeting Monday posted on Facebook. “Everything is going according to plan.” 

The Washburn Fire started July 7 in an area of dense forest that’s provided plenty of fuel. It has burned so hot that updrafts from the flames lifted tree branches high into the air and two firefighting aircraft were almost hit by debris, according to InciWeb, a US government website that tracks wildfires. 

The fire has expanded to 2,720 acres (1,100 hectares) and was about 22% contained, according to InciWeb. There are 545 fire fighters and staff on the scene. 

Warm, dry conditions across the area will continue through the week, and a growing high pressure system will lead to weak winds allowing smoke to build up in the area. Temperatures are forecast to reach about 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) in Wawona Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

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