Investigators determine cause of Rim Fire

Investigators from the U.S. Forest Service and the Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office have determined that the 237,000-acre Rim Fire in central California began when a hunter allowed an illegal fire to escape. Contrary to speculation earlier by Todd McNeal, fire chief in Twain Harte, there is no indication the hunter was involved with illegal marijuana cultivation and no marijuana cultivation sites were located near the origin of the fire.

Animation of the spread of the Rim Fire

An animation of the spread of the Rim Fire will entertain you for a few minutes. It is fascinating to watch as the fire spreads, burnouts are completed, and sections of the fire become smaller as data collected during GPS helicopter flights around the fire are later corrected by infrared mapping.

Dozer operator injured in rollover

The Idaho Statesman reported that a dozer operator was seriously injured Monday during a rollover while he was constructing a helispot on the Raft Fire, part of the Weiser Complex. Timothy Harrison, 55, was hospitalized in critical condition. The U.S. Forest Service is conducting an investigation into the accident.

Arizona Governor to appeal federal aid for Yarnell Hill Fire

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer reportedly plans to appeal the decision by FEMA which declined to provide federal aid for the Yarnell Hill Fire. FEMA’s rationale was that few of the homeowners who lost their residences in the fire did not have insurance. On June 30, 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed on the fire.

Thanks go out to JW