Firefighters Gain Ground on Rim Fire as Cause is Discovered
By Jillian MacMath, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
September 06, 2013; 9:42 AM
Thick smoke from the Rim Fire blaze has begun drifting into the Yosemite Valley, a popular scenic destination for visitors to the Yosemite National Park.
Nearly 4,000 firefighters continue to battle the massive blaze that has consumed more than 237,000 acres since its start on Aug. 17.
On Thursday, the Incident Information System confirmed in a news release that the fire began on Aug. 17 after a hunter allowed an illegal fire to escape.
[Hunters are responsible for dozens of forest fires each year, contrary to the claim that they’re the “best environmentalists.”]
Investigators from the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and the Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office are withholding the hunter’s name pending further investigation.
No arrests have been made at this time. Additionally, there have been no indications that the hunter was involved with any illegal marijuana cultivation.
The fire, now 80 percent contained, has resulted in poor air quality for many surrounding areas.
“Visitors to Yosemite should expect periods of smoky conditions, depending on winds and fire behavior,” the National Park’s Air Quality and Smoke Monitoring page read on Wednesday.
A webcam in Yosemite National Park captures a shot of smoke from the Rim Fire in the distance on Aug. 29.
On Tuesday, the fire grew a total of 1,700 acres as southwest transport winds pushed smoke into communities northeast of the fire, including Pinecrest, Bear Valley, Markleeville, Minden, Carson City and the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Exposing the Big Game 
..color me surprised..am sickened..the deaths of so many precious animals..*tears*…not to mention the utter waste of resources..may this soulless human dreck be held accountable..
“soulless human dreck”…that about sums them up.
So well stated…there usually is very nothing mentioned about the non-humans who suffer in these terrible fires: mostly it’s about “structures,” which can be rebuilt. So much precious natural habitat for wild animals is burning up in The West now. Everything is so tight, with few avenues for wild life to move about, that they starve and die thirst, like the bears (& other animals) here in New Mexico. I am putting out seed blocks, and several water containers, along with melon, & other fruit scraps, which are grabbed up right away. Just on our small acreage, we are providing some very- needed sustenance for the native wildlife.
i heard this on the news this morning and thought of you.
How long will they continue to get away with everything?
Forever Jim, forever. There will be no punishment, probably just a slap on the wrist.
This serial killer, should be tied to one of the dead, burned forest trees, and left there.
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http://fairbearhunt.com/?utm_source=em090613&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FairBearHunt
This was sent to me regarding a “campaign” in Maine. The problem we have with this revised campaign (from 2004), is the idea that only some bear hunting activities are not “fair.” They talk about the how bear baiting and trapping is against the “ethical hunting practices” used in Maine. We were involved in the 2004 campaign, and we spoke up then about not calling it “fair bear hunting,” by not in any way condoning any hunting practices, and standing up for the bears, period. The 2004 campaign against bear baiting/trapping was defeated–every hunter in Maine showed up against it, despite the organizer’s attempts to appease hunters. Those who are opposed to hunting in general, please contact this website.
Thanks for the info and link. Of course no bear hunting is fair.
Thanks for any help you can give on this!
from the San Jose Mercury News http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24023173/rim-fire-blaze-was-started-by-hunter-an?source=most_viewed :
Not only could the hunter face criminal charges and possible jail time, federal officials may send him a bill for the costs of putting out the fire — $81 million thus far.
“How much should he be worried? A lot,” said attorney Kyle Graham, a former national park ranger who now teaches law at Santa Clara University.
Even if the hunter isn’t a multimillionaire who could afford to pay all of the firefighting costs, that doesn’t mean he won’t be pursued for some of them, said Graham, a former firefighter and deputy district attorney in Mono County, which abuts Yosemite.
“There’s no rule that says the state will or should only go after individuals with large bank accounts,” he said. “The state’s interest in such a case may be to send a message, or to recover some costs, or both.”
At its peak last week, more than 5,000 firefighters from around the nation were battling the blaze. The fire, now 80 percent contained, has burned 237,341 acres, including 66,155 acres within Yosemite National Park between Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Tioga Road. It is the largest fire in recorded history in the Sierra Nevada and the largest in Yosemite since the park began keeping records in 1930. It also has destroyed 11 homes, dozens of other structures and caused five injuries.
Thanks for the link and the good news.
He should be put on parole for the rest of his life, and have the bill taken out of his paycheck, and take away his hunting license forever.
and beaten within an inch of his life. 😉
Put this guy in jail for life, stone him, or hang him. Just sayin’
Such a horrible forest fire started by a hunter? I had no idea Jim! When will they ever learn that hunting is EVIL?
None too soon
The hunter probably will be fined for having an illegal campfire, and that’s it. He should have his hunting license taken away for life as well. I live in Idaho and I have put out a few campfires that people have either left smoldering when they left the area or as was the case with a group of young adults, lit a campfire and after a few minutes left! My husband and I were camped near them and after a few minutes we went over there and put out the fire. It wasn’t just smoldering; it was flaming! We didn’t know if these idiots were coming back but one thing was for sure they weren’t going to be able to start another fire anytime soon because we drowned that fire dead out! A few minutes later they came back and we heard them discussing how this campfire could have gone out! They didn’t ask and I didn’t tell them a thing.