Target shooters start Yosemite fires?

[RTFM]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25865277

Fire roars toward 2,000 homes near Yosemite

MIDPINES, Calif. - A fast-spreading fire burning near an entrance to Yosemite National Park forced the evacuations of 170 homes and caused officials to cut power to the park.

The fire grew from about 1 1/2 square miles to 25 square miles on Saturday, and was threatening about 2,000 homes, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Officials told NBC News early Sunday that 18,000 acres had burned and that authorities were struggling to determine the extent of structural damage in the area because the fire was "out of control".

About 900 firefighters battled the blaze that burned on both sides of a steep, rugged canyon along the Merced River.

Most of the evacuated homes are in the town of Midpines, located along Highway 140, the thoroughfare that leads to the west entrance of Yosemite National Park.

Target shooting blamed
State fire spokeswoman Karen Guillemin said the cause of the fire, dubbed the Telegraph Fire, "is definitely target shooting," but would not elaborate.

[jaybet]

I heard this on NPR this morning and couldn't figure out how that could happen, unless they were firing incindiaries or blowing stuff up. If you are "target shooting" theoretically you would have a berm behind the targets, etc....hot lead MAYBE, but it sounds a little fishy.
Maybe the target shooters were smoking cigarettes and grilling hotdogs.

[JohnJacobH]

The fire grew from about 1 1/2 square miles to 25 square miles on Saturday, and was threatening about 2,000 homes, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Officials told NBC News early Sunday that 18,000 acres had burned and that authorities were struggling to determine the extent of structural damage in the area because the fire was "out of control".

Forest fires explained here:

http://johnjacobh.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/nine-myths-about-forest-fires/

Long read but worth the trip. Conveniently summarzied into a few paragraphs at the beginning for the time challenged.

[Hazcat]

I suspect we will never hear the whole story and that the statement that "target shooters started the fire" will take on a life of it's own as gospel truth. 

[saltydogbk]

What with people trying to be able to take guns into parks, it stands to reason that gun totin, bible clingin rednecks are to blame for a fire at Yosemite.

[Sponsor]

[TAB]

That part of CA is all scrub land ( think hilly aferican savana)  Last year we had the wetest year on record, this year( just finished) one of the dryest.

Hot lead would not start a fire, but a tracer( which are illegal in CA) ,a steel cored bullet or muzzle flash could start a fire.   

[ericire12]

Witch hunt

[TAB]

Witch hunt

maybe, maybe not. 

[ericire12]

maybe, maybe not. 

Nuance.

[pioneer]

MSNBC and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will never let the facts get in the way of a good story.  I know of many wild fires which have been started by those stupid catalytic converters we are required to put on our cars and SUV's, when parked over dry grass.