Cajete Fire, 2017
Credit: U.S. Forest Service
The Forest Service, Santa Fe National Forest, put out a news release yesterday that included,
Come on, Folks – Please Put Out Your Campfires
Santa Fe, NM – June 26, 2019 – Frustrated fire prevention staff on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) continue to find far too many abandoned campfires – more than 45 last weekend alone. And that doesn’t include the one last week near Forest Road 10 on the Jemez Ranger District that grew into a 2-acre wildfire before three engine crews successfully put it out.
….
The upcoming Fourth of July holiday, with its expected surge in the number of visitors on the forest, has fire personnel on the SFNF worried.
They’re conducting a public awareness campaign to educate people. Fingers crossed it works.
June 27, 2019
Really? I learned to put out campfires as a girl guide—how hard can it be?
Not everyone were girl guides, which is why the Forest Service is trying to educate them. What did they tell you to do to put the fires out?
this just SICKENS me. there is NO excuse. NONE.
any idiot knows the danger. I don’t care if you can’t even read.
you know that FIRE burns. just seeing the thousands of acres decimated by fire!! what does it take? there is no room for politeness. we coddle people too much. mother nature by way of lightening can do enough damage. my GOSH!
HUMAN grown ups SHOULD know better!!! I give up on them.
I figure we’re all idiots at times, but sometimes it’s less dangerous than others. “I give up on them.” That sounds like a good strategy — better than stressing out our hearts fussing about things we have no control over.
Make no sense at all. Forest Service might have to impose a ban on open burning even if campfires by responsible campers would be no problem.
If it gets much drier they probably will. Last year things were so dry they completely closed all the forests around here — no Sunday walks even for Andy, Beate, and Tim.
Sad and scary that there are so many people out there who are so careless.
Agreed!
What a scary thing to worry about…out of control camp fires. I have neighbors who build and I’m so afraid a spark or fire works will caught my eaves-troughs on fire. I have to make sure they are cleaned out before the 4th every year. People can be so thoughtless or stupid or is it both?
Probably both. We’re clearing most trees and tall vegetation from 100 feet around our buildings. Back in the day they suggested 25 feet. We tried that, plus thinning the trees, but our fire was so hot and fast nothing helped. Fingers crossed. Good luck to you too!
I really hope it works too! All my years at camp as a kid/teenager, and as a counselor has given me a healthy respect and love for a good campfire that I still have. But safety and putting them out were lessons that I learned first, and always taught when I teaching about building fires. But unfortunately, people don’t remember those lessons as well as the golden rule to, “leave no trace.”
I never had a chance to go to camp so learned about campfires as a young adult. It looks as if the educational outreach is having some good results, thank goodness.
here it’s not always bbq/camp fires but rather careless throwing away of a still lit cigarette (driving along)…rolls down the shoulder of the road, onto dry stalks of grasses and next minute there is flames and off it rushes into the hinterland of dry plant/trees…sometimes quickly extinguished other times randomly gets out of hand…
lots of unthinking people in this world…who probably would watch such a fire, and not realise that “they caused it” rather rant at the box at the stupidity of others….
Yep, human nature in action, I’m afraid.
Stopping back by because I thought my comment may not have been posted. And I guess I was right. So, I’ll kinda repeat what I said…
But I have a great respect for fire and love of campfires that came from all my years at camp as a kid/teenager, and also as a counselor. One of the first things I learned and taught was putting them out, and making sure we “left no trace.” It’s unfortunate that some people in their rush don’t remember to do that too. I hope the forest stays safe!
I’m sorry your comment didn’t publish sooner. For some reason WordPress put it in the spam folder even though it should have recognized you. I’ll try to check my spam folder more often now that I know there can be a problem.