"That's a wrap!": Used to indicate that something is finished or concluded.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
The Washburn Fire burned for 27 days in Yosemite National Park before firefighters achieved 100% containment on August 3, 2022. An evening rain on September 19th doused most of the remaining embers, and, on the following day, the battle against the Washburn Fire “wrapped up.” A total of 4,886 acres burned in this southern section of the Park near the town of Wawona by the time the fire smoldered out. Three hundred and forty acres of the fire’s total footprint were located within the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia Trees, according to WildfireToday.com.
Firefighters used sprinklers as part of their arsenal to protect a few of the more iconic trees in the Grove, such as the Grizzly Giant, estimated to be over 2,500 years old. Additionally, they wrapped the historic Mariposa Grove Museum, located in the Upper Grove of sequoias, in a foil-like structure that served to protect it against a direct onslaught of flames. Fortunately, the fire never reached the Grizzly Giant or the Museum.
The Mariposa Grove Museum, also known as the Galen Clark Cabin, was originally built by Galen Clark in 1864 when he became the first “Guardian” of Yosemite. It served as a “rough one-room cabin” and as “an office and information center to assist visitors” at the time, according to the Nomination Form for Historic Places. The Cabin had been replaced by the state of California in 1881, and, after Clark died in 1910, that second cabin deteriorated significantly. The National Park Service rebuilt the structure in 1930 to serve as a Museum which highlighted the history of the mighty sequoias within the Grove, as well as Clark’s efforts to preserve the Grove for future generations. Now on the Register of Historic Places, the Mariposa Grove Museum has been boarded up since the start of a $40 million restoration of the Grove in 2015 (completed in 2018).
As a result of the restoration, the asphalt roads that served to bring sightseeing trams to the Museum have disappeared, and so have the trams. This has thinned out the number of tourists who choose to climb the 1½-mile trail from the Lower Grove to this meadow clearing in the Upper Grove. For those who do make the hike to this idyllic spot, the peaceful quietness that prevails makes it clear why Galen Clark located his office here.
One year after the Washburn Fire, I am sitting here on the deck of that historic log structure. The summer heat warms the grasses and wildflowers surrounding the deck. The earthy aroma acts as a gentle and uplifting incense that serves to calm my own internal essence.
Looking up at the few towering sequoias that surround the Cabin, my line of vision fails to capture a complete image of those that are nearest me because of their profound height. I take note, however, that as symbols of ‘balance, protection, and healing,’ these colossal conifers appear to watch over “Clark’s Cabin”, as if repaying Mr. Clark for the protective guardianship he provided the Grove during his fifty years of living in Yosemite.
The setting prompts me to contemplate things known and things unknown, especially regarding the Washburn Fire. Although it may have disappeared from the consciousness of most who experienced its impact, the fire remains on my mind. Despite one year having passed since full containment, it would not be completely accurate to say all issues related to the fire have been “wrapped up.” One critical question has gone unanswered: How did the fire start?
That question initiates any fire investigation. In some respects, answering that question assists in determining the nature of the fire and how to approach fighting it. For example, according to the US Forest Service, human-start fires have unique characteristics that do not follow patterns of “natural fires” (e.g., lightning fires) regarding their location and timing. They are “typically near to developed areas that require protecting visitors, developments, and other infrastructure. Most human-caused fires are close to the road systems.” Any fire that “threatens lives or property will be suppressed if possible.”
All of those details match the profile of the Washburn Fire. Consequently, it did not take long for fire officials to answer the question, “How did the fire start?” Yosemite’s Superintendent, Cicely Muldoon, stated at a public information update five days after the fire started, “As you all know, there was no lightning on that day. So, it’s a human-start fire. It’s under investigation, that’s all I can really say right now. We are looking at that real, real hard."
Of course, when one question gets answered, several other questions come up that also beg for answers, especially if those questions begin to reveal peculiarities or coincidences in a chain of events that appear related.
For example, if the Washburn Fire was a “human-start” fire, the following questions seem reasonable to consider: Was the fire started accidentally or intentionally? Does the location where the fire started give clues about whether or not it was started accidentally or intentionally (e.g., near a roadway or “escape” route?)? Why that day? Why that time of day? Why that time of year? If intentionally set, what could drive a person to commit felony arson of this magnitude (in other words, could anyone benefit from a fire of this immensity?)? Who might be considered suspects in such a case? If the fire was accidental, how could ignition occur at that particular starting point (i.e., the Washburn Trail)? Did the fire burn in a predictable course based on its starting point and the “landscape” surrounding that starting point?
These questions began to surface 12 months after the Washburn Fire as I pondered its impact while viewing the intact Clark Cabin and while walking amidst the burnt understory of the northwestern boundary of the Grove. Originally, I had intended to keep this series of articles on the Washburn Fire articles to two parts. However, as my questions grew in number, and after learning from the NPS Investigative Service Branch (January 2024) that the investigation was still ongoing and any final report would need to be requested via the Freedom of Information Act, I added three Parts to address some of these issues. I retitled the series of articles to "The Washburn Fire: An Inside Job?".
Perhaps the Washburn Fire will never be completely “wrapped up” due to a lack of definitive information about the “human” starter of the fire. Nevertheless, in the next three articles, I will, at minimum, highlight oddities and coincidences regarding its origin as it relates to the questions above. Ultimately, each reader will need to come to their own conclusions about whether one can truly say “That’s a wrap” regarding the Washburn Fire.
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