Cuyamaca Park Blaze Tied to 2 S.D. Campers

The unattended campfire blamed for sparking a last week’s 1,107-acre forest fire here has been traced to two San Diego men, the California Department of Forestry has reported.

“It looks like two adult men went hiking, decided to stay the night and left on the morning of the fire,” said Doug Allen, CDF fire prevention officer.

On Friday, the CDF presented the evidence to the San Diego County district attorney’s office in El Cajon, which will decide whether to prosecute. The two men could be charged with maintaining an illegal campfire, causing a fire, and unlawfully and recklessly starting a fire, Allen said. The charges carry a sentence of six months to three years’ imprisonment.

The names of the men will not be released unless the case goes to court, Allen said.

The fire, which began in campground No. 2 near Japacha Peak and Green Valley Falls campground, burned east toward California 79 for five days before firefighters managed to douse it, CDF spokeswoman Audrey Hagen said. The area, designated as primitive campground because it is in the wild where no fire rings are available, is off-limits to campfires.

The blaze, fanned by 10- to 20-m.p.h. winds and encouraged by unseasonably high temperatures, roared out of control until a successful burnout operation--destroying vegetation in the fire’s path with a controlled burn--on Aug. 22 slowed the blaze enough for firefighters to contain it.

At one point, there were 1,000 firefighters, six air tankers and five helicopters battling the blaze. Their efforts were hampered by steep terrain and the density of the trees and brush in the area. The foliage had not been burned for 14 years, Hagen said.

Twenty-one firefighters suffered minor injuries. Among the more serious were a broken ankle, an injured knee, and two allergic reactions to stings after firefighters disturbed a hornets nest, Hagen said. The other injuries included smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.

The heat and smoke from the fire also forced the closure of California 79 from Descanso to Cuyamaca Lake.

Cost of fighting the blaze has been placed at more than $800,000, Allen said. Total damage to the park is $200,000. The cost for the rehabilitation of the razed area is not known.

Most of the park, with the exception of the fire area, has been reopened to visitors.

Local fire companies have been patrolling the area looking for smoldering embers, Allen said. They will continue to be on the lookout through the Labor Day weekend.