Lost hikers set signal fire, attracts firefighters

missing hikers
Cody Hopkins, 14 (left) and Joseph Hopkins, 54 (right)

After an extensive five-day search two missing hikers were found in a very remote area of the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area in the Klamath National Forest 41 air miles southwest of Yreka, California. They were rescued after the smoke from their signal fire attracted firefighters.

When Cody Hopkins, 14, and his father, Joseph Hopkins, 54, did not return home on June 29 as planned, Mr. Hopkins’ wife notified the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department. With the assistance of many other agencies, the Department searched from June 30th until July 4th when the hikers were found a considerable distance from the initial search location. Both father and son were in relatively good shape considering their ordeal and were reunited with family members shortly after their rescue.

As of Wednesday night the fire, now named “Wilderness”, has burned 46 acres in the footprint of a 2008 fire. On Wednesday 18 smokejumpers were dispatched and two hotshot crews are on scene or en route.

Wilderness Fire map
3-D map of the Wilderness Fire perimeter at 11:50 p.m. July 6, 2016. Data provided by USFS.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Kurt.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

2 thoughts on “Lost hikers set signal fire, attracts firefighters”

  1. The condition of the trails were terrible out there due to the blowdown and being in the footprint of previous wildfires.

    There is some discussion (investigation) of the fire. The jury is still out on the cause of the fire (national guard ship blew embers everywhere from the small warming fire upon spotting them is a theory as well), the fire investigator is flying/packing in today depending on weather.

    the good news is that they have a good handle on the fire and we received light precip on the fire this morning.

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  2. im not sure how i feel about this.on one hand,it got other people attention to their location,but to start a wildland fire in that type of terrain?…how about cleaning a safety area and then trying to start something more like a warming fire,only making it smokey,so it shows?….

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