The Inyo National Forest Service reported Sunday that a quick response extinguished a blaze that broke out Saturday near Mammoth Lakes.
The agency reported that a lightning-strike fire was prevented from spreading into Mammoth Lakes Saturday afternoon.
The strike was witnessed by one of the Forest Service’s fire prevention technicians scanning the landscape atop a fire lookout station as a storm cell moved through.
At the same time, one of the agency’s battalion chiefs spotted the fire as well, calling in the report of smoke and a full suppression response.
According to the Forest Service, lightning strikes are a natural part of this forest’s fire regime. However, due to this strike’s location, the time of year, low fuel moisture and potential for a rapid rate of spread, a swift response was necessary; keeping it to one-quarter acre behind Shady Rest Park.
The Inyo National Forest Service would like to thank Mammoth Lakes Fire Department for assisting the agency in this fire, “for the community we protect together,” and the helicopter crew out of Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest that was ready and available at the Mammoth Airport.
