First Wildfire Near Mammoth Stopped at Quarter-Acre

The fire was near the Shady Rest Park, on a volcanic knoll east and north of the park. 

The fire was quickly identified by local firefighters who were stationed at a local fire lookout due to the forecast for lighting this weekend, allowing firefighters to respond quickly. 

The strike occurred sometime in the late afternoon of Saturday, June 25, during a storm that triggered dozens of lightning strikes; at press time, this was the only strike that resulted in a fire.

Here are more updates from the Inyo National Forest officials, who put out a short news release earlier this week:

“Under the watchful eyes and quick response of our firefighters, a lightning strike fire was prevented from spreading into Mammoth Lakes this past Saturday afternoon,” the forest said. “The strike was witnessed by one of our Inyo National Forest Fire Prevention Technicians scanning the landscape atop a fire lookout station as a storm cell moved though. At the same time, one of our Inyo National Forest Battalion Chiefs spotted it too, calling in the report of smoke and a full suppression response. 

“Lightning strikes are a natural part of this forest’s fire regime (but) due to this strike’s location, the time of year, low fuel moisture and potential for a rapid rate of spread, a swift response was necessary,” the Inyo said. This action kept the fire to one-quarter acre behind Shady Rest Park.

We would also like to thank Mammoth Lakes Fire Department for assisting us in this fire for the community we protect together, “ they said. “Additionally, we would like to thank the helicopter crew out of Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, which was pre-positioned at the Mammoth Airport.”