Lost Camper Starts California Wildfire
Lost CamperStarts California Wildfire
24 November 2006
published by www.forbes.com
USA — A wildfire that had consumed about 125 acres and continued to burnThursday was started by a camper who lit a signal fire after getting lost in anational forest, authorities said.
The man got lost trying to return to a group of other campers after a hike inthe San Bernardino National Forest, U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Millersaid. The camper was about a mile from where he started when he set the signalfire Tuesday night.
Authorities hadn’t determined whether to charge the man, whom Miller declinedto name.
Nearly 400 firefighters, four helicopters and four air tankers battled theblaze in hard-to-reach terrain near Yucaipa, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.Low winds allowed crews to get the upper hand by Wednesday afternoon.
