The 1995 Inverness Ridge fire that destroyed 45 homes
and damaged seven others while blackening 12,000 acres of parkland began
with an illegal campfire three days earlier. Here’s the sequence
of events:
• Sept. 30 (Saturday): Four boys camp
out on Mount Vision and start an illegal campfire. When they leave,
they pour water on the fire and bury it before leaving, but embers below
ground continue to smolder.
• Oct. 3 (Tuesday): At 1:27 p.m., the
fire lookout on Mount Barnabe reports smoke on Mount Vision. Forty to
50 mile-per-hour winds spark flames. Firefighters initially believe
they have fire contained, but around 4:30 p.m., it jumps a canyon as
winds carry burning foliage east into inaccessible Bishop pines and
down the ridgeline toward Paradise Ranch Estates in Inverness Park.
• Oct. 4 (Wednesday): By 2 a.m., about
20 homes have been destroyed in Paradise Ranch Estates, 2,000 acres
have burned, and Point Reyes National Seashore is closed until further
notice. By 6 p.m., 45 homes have been destroyed and another seven damaged.
By now, 8,800 acres have burned and 1,200 firefighters are committed
to the fire.
• Oct. 5 (Thursday): As flames cross Highland
Way and enter Inverness watershed, firefighters, aided by higher humidity
and lower wind, work desperately to save Inverness. By late afternoon,
containment reaches 6 percent and 11,720 acres have been burned.
• Oct. 6 (Friday): With the help of changing
winds and morning fog, firefighters stop the flames atop Inverness Ridge.
The focus shifts to the southeast edge of the fire along Sky Trail.
Containment reaches 80 percent. By now, 10 percent of the park has burned.
• Oct. 7 (Saturday): At 6 p.m., the fire
is contained.
• Oct. 8 (Sunday): Trail restoration and
firefighter demobilization begins.
• Oct. 10 (Tuesday): Two 14 year olds
and two 15 year olds admit having an illegal campfire on Mount Vision.
• Oct. 16 (Monday): Full control is declared
at midnight. Here and there, however, hotspots have remained and occasionally
flare up. On Oct. 14, the fire rekindled itself and burned another 11
acres off Drake Summit Road. On Oct. 18, two more flare-ups occur in
the same area. Smoke, mostly from smoldering tree roots, can be seen
for at least another week.