Crime & Safety
Massive Rim Fire Reportedly Caused by Hunter's Illegal Fire
There is no indication that the fire is related to a marijuana-growing operation, as had been rumored in recent weeks.
Written by Bay City News Service
The massive Rim Fire, now the fourth-largest wildfire in California's history, was sparked by a hunter's illegal fire, U.S. Forest Service officials announced Thursday, Sept. 5.
The fire began on Aug. 17 in the Stanislaus National Forest near the Jawbone Ridge area and has burned 237,341 acres. As of Thursday, it was 80 percent contained.
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The Forest Service announced Thursday that personnel from its Law Enforcement and Investigations division and the Tuolumne County District Attorney's Office have determined that the blaze started after the hunter "allowed an illegal fire to escape."
There is no indication that the fire is related to a marijuana-growing operation, as had been rumored, according to the Forest Service.
Find out what's happening in Belmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The hunter's name has not yet been released.
The Rim Fire destroyed the city of Berkeley's Tuolumne Family Camp, located off of state Highway 120 west of the entrance to Yosemite National Park.
As of this morning, 1,900 homes were still threatened and evacuations were in effect, according to Cal Fire.
