Memorial Fire

Memorial Fire. . The sky filled with smoke, roads and trails were closed, and some campgrounds had to be evacuated. - Ernest Quintana, Joshua Tree National Park superintendent, 1999 , No one predicted it, and no one would have guessed its size. What started as a typical holiday weekend turned into a hellish event that torched nearly 14,000 acres, the largest fire in the park's history. On May 27, 1999, a passing thunderstorm sparked four fires., A common occurrence, but coupled with a tinderbox of non-native grasses that now choke the once open spaces of the desert landscape, a flash point was reached. High winds fanned the flames and the fires raged out of control., The primary concern of park managers was to keep firefighters and visitors safe. Unabated, fire flames reached 40- to 60-foot heights. The fires' spread was startling, but firefighters prevailed in stopping the blaze. You are standing at the eastern most edge of the burn, contained by firefighters on Sunday May 30, Memorial Day Weekend. , Photo captions: , (Left): National Park Service policy favors natural processes. But when plants that are slow to regenerate following fires are in jeopardy - like pinyon pines, junipers, blackbush, and Joshua trees - park managers strive to limit or stop all fires to save them. , Fire swept though Joshua tree and pinyon pine forests. In areas of high heat concentration, total consumption of Joshua trees, pinyons, and junipers occurred. , (Right): During fires, highly mobile animals leave the area and burrowing animals go underground. Wildfires rarely heat the ground far below the surface. Smoke inhalation can be a problem though, and a few desert tortoises, like this one, were reported killed by the fire.