California Firefighters Battle Coffee Pot Fire in Sequoia National Park

Nearly 1,500 firefighters from around the western U.S. are battling the Central California blaze.

Visitors at Sequoia National Park. Courtesy of National Park Service

California crews continue to battle the Coffee Pot fire in the southwest corner of Sequoia National Park, a blaze started nearly four weeks ago by a lightning strike, according to fire officials.

The fire reached nearly 9 square miles Thursday inside the national park, located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains near Lone Pine and Mount Whitney in Central California. The park is known for its towering sequoias that can live up to 3,000 years.