LOS PADRES FOREST : Fire Cleanup Closes 3 Campgrounds
Three campgrounds in Los Padres National Forest have been closed so crews can clean up after the brush fire that burned 1,900 acres last week.
Lions Canyon, Middle Lions Canyon and the Piedra Blanca Group campgrounds, which are open year-round, will be shut down for one to two weeks, forest spokesman Earl Clayton said.
In a weekend, about 200 to 300 people use the three campgrounds, but there are five other recreational areas nearby that campers can use, Clayton said. “There will be a lot of heavy equipment involved in the cleanup, and it’s a safety hazard,” he said.
The cleanup involves checking to see if there is anything left burning from the fire and replanting vegetation, Clayton said. “They go stump by stump, to make sure nothing is smoldering, even if they have to dig it up to take it out.”
The blaze was started in Lions Canyon Campground by a camper who failed to dispose of briquettes safely, Clayton said.
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