Inyo National Forest
MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. — On Labor Day evening, September 5, a small fire broke out just north of the Mammoth Scenic Loop, named the Scenic Fire. The following day, investigators officially concluded the fire was caused by an illegal campfire that had escaped.
As seen in the picture below, the area circled in yellow did not burn. Here is where the person who created it most likely thought they had put it out. The area circled in red shows where the fire was still hot and escaped.
U.S. Forest Service firefighters responded to the fire, reported by a visitor passing by on their side-by-side, where they were able to contain it to a quarter-acre.
During the second operational shift however, the fire spotted an additional quarter acre approximately 200 feet away from the main body of the fire. It was detected and quickly contained by 9:00 a.m. before it hit a patch of dried-out tree snags.
Firefighters will continue mopping up and inspecting the fire daily for any hot spots for several days before declaring the fire “controlled and out.”
This is a good reminder for everyone visiting our Forest about why we have fire restrictions. Any dispersed campfire, no matter if you think you’ve extinguished it or not, could escape and cause a wildfire. Dispersed campfires are prohibited during stage 1 fire restrictions.
“With extreme heating temperatures and relative humidities dropping to single digits in the afternoons, any human-caused wildfire has the potential for large fire growth,” said Acting Fire Chief Chance Traub.
“We want to reiterate how important it is to follow our fire restrictions. When the winds come, fires like these could turn into something much worse.”
Inyo National Forest firefighters are greatly appreciative of the interagency efforts contributed by the Mammoth Lakes and June Lakes Fire Departments, and cover resource engines from out of the state who also assisted on this fire.
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Ahhhh, beautiful So. California! Clean uncrowded beaches, easy access to outdoor recreation, cute little small towns, fantastic freeway system and nice respectful people. Who would hate a great place like that? Oh sorry, that was in the 1940’s and 50’s.
The population has tripled since then, and just to get away for a holiday weekend requires jumping through hoops and scrambling for advance reservations for the same amount of, or less camping sites. With no expansion to facilities in sight, no hiring of more enforcement personal in sight, and the desire to escape the rat race still growing, who could guess illegal camping would be the end result? At least with the high price of gas and inflation it won’t be happening every single weekend for a while….
Dispersed camping isn’t illegal, it is having a fire during fire restrictions that is illegal.
With the amount of careless SoCal “travelers and campers” up there every day of every week through the Spring,Summer and Fall,especially the last couple years,and my bet,from now on,it’s a wonder this type of thing doesn’t happen every single weekend,caused by illegal campfires in areas they-‘re probably not supposed to be camping in let alone lighting campfires…
Hoards of loud drunk people at night stumbling around a big illegal campfire in an area closed to probably both dispersed camping and surely having fire restrictions…
What on Earth could go wrong ?
I heard it was an old man from Elko, Nevada, that was completely sober….just kidding. But that is about as ridiculous as what you stated….your hate for SoCal is just odd. Maybe they are a basket of deplorables? Hhhmmmm
I agree. Dennison is always hating on tourists. True, some can be annoying, but they support a big part of our economy and most are nice folks. It is odd.
Jubie
Driving HWY 395 speeding and driving up here like a nut like they do in L.A….and once they do get here, them and some living in the OV thinking and doing as they please O.K. to do, as long as they bring their money..
Some driving drunk,as the arrest reports show,usually most of them in Mono County and the ML area…and then some living here thinking O.K. to do,as long as they bring their money on that one too.
Loud,annoying late drunken parties at night in the campgrounds,and not watching their unleashed Dogs running-free into other campsites,in my case one time attacking my Dog and having to call Mono County Sheriffs about it.
Big unattended campfires in dispersed areas ,and leaving them burning after they finally leave,as the above story attests to.
Then comes morning time,my up early to go fishing,and my fishing spot soon turning into a drunken swimming-hole,complete with horny guys and bikini’ed girls in inner-tubes.. and cans of Bud Lite soon floating down the stream.
That evening,taking the Dog for an early-evening walk,and just off-trail,someone relieving themselves,# 2,kind of walking by trying to ignore it,but on the way back to my campsite.a big pile of **** and toilet paper to navigate around so my Dog doesn’t get into it.
And,of course,the “friendly ” drunks coming by the campsite after I’m settled down for the night,offering me a beer,usually smelling bad and asking questions about the “good fishing spots” when they see me cooking my Trout dinner..
And when it’s time for me to return home,coming up behind me,loaded-down trucks and RV’s speeding and tail-gating if I’m “only driving 65 MPH”…and if it happens to be late Fall or early Winter,dropping snow and ice off their roofs and onto the highway as they go.
Come the end of the week-end,or what seems weekdays now too, feeling obligated to clean-up their messes’ they left behind at some of my sit down “breakfast-to-go ” spots I have nearby.
Having been a part-time accident clean-up attendant some years ago,having to clean-up the messes and carnage they sometimes leave behind on the highway too.
And,maybe my feeling that way,not only with what I’ve seen and had to deal with myself,and having heard about,in my 23 years of living in the OV,with the small business I had going for 22 of those years,and now semi-retired this past year or so,not one cent of the money I made,lived on and was able to save,I’m proud to say not one cent was made from a tourist dollar…
.
Sounds like you’re going to the wrong places and have had bad experiences. Me, I go to out of the way places that are not the popular places for tourists. I rarely have to deal with that c$*@p.
It’s easy to avoid the masses.
Not EVERY tourist that supports the economy in the Owens Valley is from SoCal. . They come from all over the country . Do you think that the folks from from Phoenix , or Blythe , or Palm Springs don’t venture up 395 to beat the heat ? And I wouldn’t be all high & mighty about being a resident of the O.V. . I’d venture to guess that a good portion of “residents” lived in SoCal at one time or another .
Rick
Agreed.
Not ALL coming from SoCal. and not ALL of them annoying, highway speeders and litter-bugs…
Just ,what it seems,a good percent of them.
Some of them,nice people coming here,respecting the area,the land and people living here.
Just not enough of that type,or so it seems.
And yep,many of the residents living here now,relocated from the big-cities and areas,including myself.
But like to think,when I got here to live,did the right things and away from my bad habits,and think eventually an excepted part of the community,willing to work and keeping my nose clean.literally.
.
Yup, out of 10 families on my street, 50% are from Orange County, course David isn’t gonna say where he came from, might give himself away. Is he sure 23 years makes him an accepted local? I think its 40.
Ask a Parent
Give myself away ?
To who ?
But for your information,as if it matters much to me,I came down from Oregon..
And you can put some kind of numbered figure out there,letting me know when I’ll be “accepted”…
Laughable….
Ask anyone in town that knows me much,see if I’ve been “accepted” yet..
I would expect that on Labor day weekend, the USFS would be patrolling the dispersed camping areas every night. I don’t believe they do though. Be nice to hear from the USFS on what steps they take to police illegal fires in these commonly used areas. MLPD says it’s not their jurisdiction to patrol. Seems like anything goes out there.
patrol with what staff??????
I have never been approached by USFS personal in the evening while disperse camping.
I have once, down by Lake Isabella. The ranger issued us a campfire permit because we were supposed to have one if we wanted a fire. It wasn’t during extreme fire danger time though.