Sierra fire cause: man burning deer innards
By Kurtis Alexander
Updated 4:24 pm, Friday, October 3, 2014
One of the most destructive wildfires in the Sierra Nevada this summer, which ruined dozens of homes south of Yosemite National Park, appears to have had a most unusual cause: flaming deer entrails.
A man trying to get rid of the stench of innards from a hunted deer was burning the leftover parts and accidentally set fire to a hillside near the town of Oakhurst last month, according to a Madera County sheriff’s report.
Sheriff John Anderson said Friday that the man confessed and apologized for igniting what would become the 320-acre Courtney Fire, which destroyed 30 homes near Bass Lake.
Deputies encountered the man, who has not been identified, when they responded to reports of the blaze Sept. 14, Anderson said.
“He had a hose and he was trying to put out the fire,” Anderson said.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Sierra-fire-cause-man-burning-deer-innards-5799272.php