Forest Service officials have a stern warning about people lighting their piles on fire. Over the last few months a number of large 25 foot slash piles that were left by Forest Service crews for future ignition have been set ablaze by unauthorized people. Several of them were near Bolam Road off Highway 97 in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and others were located in the Klamath National Forest. Law enforcement has been able to track down some of those who were responsible, and they admitted to the fires. Pile burning is only done when conditions are just right and resources are nearby and available in case a fire spreads beyond a pile.
-Steve Gibson