Forest Fire Blamed on Dumped Ashes
A brush fire that burned 2,250 acres in the Green Valley and Lake Elizabeth areas late last month was caused by a resident who dumped hot ashes from a wood-burning stove, officials said Monday.
The resident, whom authorities declined to identify, could be charged with a misdemeanor for starting a fire by negligence, said Special Agent Wayne Crowder of the U.S. Forest Service. “The fire was not intentionally set. We have his admission that he had been dumping out hot stove ashes there for quite some time.”
Crowder said he will interview more potential witnesses before a decision on charges is made.
Investigators sent a report on the fire to U.S. Forest Service lawyers in San Francisco, who could file a civil suit against the man.
The ashes reportedly were dumped on the morning of June 28, shortly before the fire roared northwest through heavy brush in the Angeles National Forest and burned for two days.
The blaze began near El Clavelito Road south of the San Francisquito Campground in the northwestern part of Green Valley. It destroyed one house and several outbuildings.
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