In this year of some of the worst fires ever in California history, we take a look back, in this historical highlight, at some of the worst fires to ever burn in Joshua Tree National Park. Ernest Figueroa has the details…
On July 31, 1995, an afternoon thunderstorm touched off two fires when lightning struck about 10 miles apart in Joshua Tree National Park. The smaller fire burned about 80 acres in the Lost Horse area near the Ryan Campground. Firefighters had to hike in an hour with all their gear to get to it, but they had it fully contained by the next day.
The other fire, which started in the Covington Flats area and was named for Covington Flats, burned thick stands of juniper and Joshua trees. At its peak, more than 1000 firefighters from 17 different federal, state, and local agencies were fighting the 5,100-acre blaze, aided by helicopters and aerial tankers. The fire burned a vacation cabin and a travel trailer in the “Whispering Pines” area of the park, and threatened the village of Joshua Tree. It took three days before the Covington Flats fire was under control.
For more information, see the Hi-Desert Magazine article below:
https://www.z1077fm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JoshuaTreeNationalParkFire.pdf
Copyright © 1995 Hi-Desert Magazine.
