[Parmy]

Much the same thing happened a couple of years ago on S.R. 24 about 2 miles West of the Hanford Gate here in central Wash. State. A lady apparently had a heart attack, crossed the center line and collided with a truck. A brush/grass fire resulted.

It so happened that another truck with a back-hoe in tow came upon the accident a few minutes later. The owner offered to unload the back-hoe and put a line around the fire since it hadn't grown very large at that point. The Marine-Fisheries-Wildlife guy, who was on hand with all the other feckless bureaucrats wouldn't let him because they didn't want vehicle tracks on this pristine wasteland.

The result was that the fire got away, burned over a hundred-thousand acres, twenty some-odd buildings, countless animals and especially elk who were trapped by an elk-fence some 50 miles to the East. Plus, habitat that is just now starting to recover.

So much for the Harvard/Yale educated fools that these bureaucracies hire. Very Stupid!!!!!!

[Kermit]

I believe a big part of the problem is that these forest lands are in the hands of the Federals back in DC. The Bureaucrats know that they will have no consequences for their actions. They will be protected by the 'crats at HQ, transfered somewhere else, retired with full salary or whatever.

The States need to take over these lands in their States to put some accountability back into the scene. Local politicians will feel the heat and will come down on the bureaucrats. Of course, the real solution is to privatize the land. Whatever it takes to get it out of the hands of the Feds.

Notice that these fires over the past few years do not occur east of the Mississippi, where the Feds hardly have any land. Co-incidence? NO!