What To Do If You Get Caught in a Wildfire While Camping
I have seen my fair share of fire risks at camp.
The National Park Service estimates that humans start 85% of wildfires across the United States. This doesn’t surprise me at all. I cannot tell you how often I have seen people come close to burning down the entire campground.
Here are some of the dumbest fire risks I have seen people take:
Lighting big fires under dry trees so that the sparks fly up toward the branches
Lighting fires on windy days and using material that the wind can blow around, like dry leaves or paper
Lighting fires when they don’t have resources to put it out if it spreads (such as a fire blanket, fire extinguisher, or extra water)
Lighting fires while drunk, high, or otherwise incapacitated and not necessarily in the best frame of mind to act responsibly and urgently
Not using firepits or creating one with rocks and other materials
Leaving fires unattended while they played games or slept somewhere else
Not putting out fires completely before leaving the campsite
When you consider that it only takes one spark (especially in the Desert Southwest), you understand how wildfires start and how easy it is to get trapped in one.
The Lake Mead Fiasco
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