The Creek Fire has been raging for a month, and if authorities know what caused the 322,089-acre megafire in the mountains northeast of Fresno, they’re not spilling the beans.
“The investigation is ongoing,” remains the official statement from Cal Fire and the Sierra National Forest.
Not to step on anyone’s toes, but it’s possible to do some amateur sleuthing. I’ve spoken to multiple, well-informed sources with the understanding their names wouldn’t be used. Just as crucially, there are photos and video from when the Creek Fire was in its infancy.
From these photos and video clips, taken by Big Creek residents hours before flames consumed 30 homes in their tight-knit community, we can clearly see where the Creek Fire started.
While those images don’t tell us conclusively how it started, a few deductions can be made that help narrow the possibilities and winnow certain inaccuracies.
The most sweeping view in Big Creek is from the fire station helipad at the end of Point Road. That’s where residents went on the evening of Sept. 4 to observe what was then a thin column of smoke surrounded by a vast canyon. Looking at the photos a month later, it’s hard to believe this is the same Creek Fire that grew into the largest individual wildfire in California’s recorded history and destroyed or damaged 542 structures.
For that, we can blame an explosive cocktail of climate change, Mono winds, absentee forest management and drought.
Most of California’s recent wildfires are caused by humans, according to UC Merced fire scientist Crystal Kolden. That can mean arson, but also downed power lines, campfires, equipment failures and even gender-reveal parties.
“When fires are started by humans, they tend to happen in areas accessible to humans — close to roads and trails,” Kolden told The Guardian. “These fires are sometimes easier to spot and report quickly.”
RUGGED, REMOTE ORIGINS
The Creek Fire was spotted and reported quickly. Two planes dumped retardant on the blaze within its initial hours. However, photos and video indicate the fire ignited along a remote ridge within rugged Big Creek Canyon north of Camp Sierra — a fair distance from any roads, trails, houses or power lines.
This is not a friendly forest where someone would decide to go hiking. From what I heard, the terrain is so steep and dense with charred foliage that Cal Fire investigators had a difficult time just reaching the origin zone.
None of that proves the Creek Fire wasn’t human caused. However, any human would’ve had to go through a great deal of trouble. You’d need a machete at a minimum and probably a hazmat suit for all the poison oak that grows in abundance on the western slope of the Sierra below 5,000 feet elevation.
Which tells me the fire probably wasn’t intentionally set — by an inattentive camper, antifa ideologist or anyone else. (Sorry to burst your paranoid bubble, conspiracy theorists.)
NATURAL OR HUMAN CAUSED?
There’s also talk it was caused by an illegal marijuana grow, the likes of which are sometimes found in nearby forests in Fresno and Madera counties. I’d say this is unlikely for two reasons: the terrain’s ruggedness and the fact that all roads in the vicinity are well traveled by Southern California Edison personnel or gated. It’s not the kind of place where a crew of pot growers could go unnoticed.
Where does that leave us? My hunch is the Creek Fire was caused by a lightning strike (even though satellite images from that day show no sign of a storm) or some freak, random occurrence.
In the long run, of course, how the fire started doesn’t matter much. Not nearly as much as the destruction it wreaked, measured in both human and environmental costs.
For now, the main priorities are containment and helping those who lost their homes. When the rainy season arrives, soil erosion and the potential for damaging mudslides will become major issues.
Sooner or later, the authorities will reveal all about the Creek Fire. It’s not the sort of thing that gets kept secret. But until they do, people are going to speculate. That’s human nature. Hopefully, this helps the speculation stay a little more informed.
