By Ken Koerner
Register Staff

3-11-2008

The spate of recent fires along the Owens River may not signal an especially active fire season ahead – but they have added heat to discussions about fire prevention looking toward future months.

“The upcoming fire season is tending to show an above-average probability in terms of fire threat,” U.S. Forest Service Fire Officer Andrew Kong said, “with the current predictability factors of climate and moisture hovering somewhere between the average fire season and that of our historically most active fire season. Though we may find that picture improves or worsens as the season matures.”
Fire officials from multiple agencies are focused on current activity, as well as the season ahead. “The Owens Valley fire season begins early due to vegetation being in its winter-dormancy, coupled with the drying winds that are so frequent,” CalFire-Owens Valley Assistant Chief Rodger Thompson said, “and the public’s year-round presence in wildland areas along the Owens River can present a potential fire threat simply due to carelessness.”
Though there has been no official finding that arson played any role in the three fires along the Owens River in recent weeks, they have been labeled as being “of suspicious origin.” Investigators searching through the burned-out areas have determined that the fires are very likely “human caused.”
“That last fire on the river just south of Warm Springs Road was certainly the result of a person’s actions,” CalFire Captain Craig Williams said. “The point of origination was easily traced back to a foot-path leading to the river bank. And we believe it resulted from someone carelessly tossing away a still-burning cigarette. There’s nothing to suggest it was done as a malicious act, but it’s a classic example of a someone doing a thoughtless act.”

“Arson isn’t entirely defined by someone’s intent to set a blaze to do damage,” Thompson said, “so that means someone could be charged with arson as the result of a negligent act that is likely to cause fire damage.”
Another recent vegetation fire in the same general area of the Owens River was also traced to “human causation.”
“What we found in the aftermath of that particular fire was another clear example of a fire we never should have had to fight,” Thompson said. “We discovered an unattended campfire site that triggered that particular blaze. Someone had placed a 12-foot piece of a tree limb across their fire and, predictably, that smoldering wood ended up igniting the adjacent brush.”
Williams, who also examined that fire site for clues to its cause, explained there was no evidence to suggest whoever had built the fire made any real attempt to ensure it was “dead-out” before leaving the area.
“Sometimes people will throw dirt on top of their fire, thinking that’s going to be sufficient,” said Williams, “but the winds around here can easily blow that dirt covering away – and then blow an uncovered and still-smoldering ember into the brush.”
“I regularly speak with school children about fire safety and how to make sure a campfire is safely out,” Kong said, “and one of the ways I describe doing it properly when talking with the children is to make sure that your campfire looks like pancake batter before you call it quits. It makes them laugh but they also understand that unless you’ve got a mix the consistency of batter there could be a chance that fire could later spread.”
A century of “fire prevention” has had the unanticipated consequence of significantly adding to fuel levels (dense brush, trees, etc.), Kong explained. “The campaign to prevent forest fires led to a lot of areas that typically would have experienced naturally-occurring fires not experiencing a fire. The end result is we’re seeing even hotter fires of longer duration.”
Kong explained this experience is leading to new approaches to wildfire management. “Decisions are being made with this new model in mind,” said Kong, “so that a fire we might have rushed to suppress in years past may be allowed to burn itself out if there is no imminent threat to public safety and structures.”
One fire policy specific to the Owens Valley has not changed. “These last three vegetation fires along the river were not caused by lightning or some other natural cause and they were all on land owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power,” Thompson said. “And the rules that govern the public’s access and use of those lands has always prohibited overnight camping and all sources of fire, whether that be a campfire or even a camp stove. If people paid proper attention to that fact, we’d have far fewer firefighters being put in harms way – and we’d be saving the taxpayers a lot of money, too.”
According to the U.S. Forest Service, within the Inyo National Forest fires are allowed with certain regulations being followed. Campfire permits are required year-round and that includes the use of charcoal barbeques and gas stoves “outside of developed recreation areas.”  Persons with a campfire permit that has not expired must check for any current restrictions that may be in place at the time of their visit to Inyo National Forest. Smokers are reminded to “grind out cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco in the dirt – never on a stump or log.”
“Most importantly,” Kong said, “always follow the recommended campfire process of ‘Drown, Stir and Feel’ the fire to ensure that it’s dead-out.”
Campfire permits and additional information on fire prevention can be obtained at any U.S. Forest Service visitor center.