[pct-l] Denatured alcohol...

[Donna Saufley]

AsABat,

I'm hoping you will please do a favor for me, which is actually a favor for
someone else that I won't be executing for reasons I know you will
understand. 

An intended thru-hiker inadvertently started a fire in '05 with his
denatured alcohol stove.  It wasn't knocked over -- the long, snaking,
invisible blue flame reached out and started brush on fire, even though he
had cleared the area well and thought he had enough bare earth.  

He's written his story to share so that other's may learn from it.  I've
posted it below. I am hoping that you will communicate his message at ADZ.
Thank you so much.

L-Rod

                                                            A Fire Story

                                        Don’t Learn My Lesson the Hard Way

     In mid-May while hiking the PCT in Cottonwood Canyon just north of I-10
on a very hot and windy day I stopped for the night. After setting up my
tent I cleared an area about three feet across of anything that might burn
and started cooking my supper. For cooking I put an ounce or two of
denatured alcohol in an old potted meat can. I have a wire stand for my pot
and an aluminum wind screen. When my water starts boiling my practice is to
lift my pot, move my wire stand and put the pot back on the can to put the
fire out and save any unburned fuel. As I was doing this some grass outside
my cleared area caught fire. I immediately jumped up and started stamping
out flames and kicking dirt on them. It was no use. The flames spread faster
than I could put them out and soon the fire was racing up the canyon out of
my control. While I was trying to keep the fire from spreading downwind a
small part of it spread upwind and burned part of my tent and my pack and
some other equipment.  After what seemed a long time some firefighters came
and put out the fire. Afterwards they told me that fifty acres of grass had
burned. I feel very fortunate. Once that fire left my fire ring I had no
control over whether it was fifty acres or fifty thousand or more
importantly whether anyone (including the firefighters) was seriously
injured or killed.

     In the months since I have spent a lot of time thinking about why this
fire happened and how to keep anything like this from happening to another
hiker. I am a 58 year old grandfather. Young and reckless is not the
problem. I have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and done most of it again
in sections. Inexperience is not the problem. I am a pilot and a sailor. My
collateral duty in the Marine Corps was Safety Officer. A casual attitude
about safety issues is not the problem. I was not cooking in or around my
tent or equipment.  I cleared off what I thought was a big enough ring and
was as careful as I could be. No fuel was spilled. After the fire my pot was
sitting on top of my stove which had unburned fuel inside. I thought I was
being careful. I was wrong! What I know now is that my concept of the risk
involved was purely theoretical. The reality is that on an average day in
Southern California there is more risk of a serious fire that on the worst
day I’ve ever seen at home on the East Coast or on the AT. When the
temperature is over one hundred, the humidity is low and the wind is
blowing, things dry out very quickly. Ironically in a year like this when
there has been a lot of rain the risk is worse because there is more to
burn. I’ve also considered the type of stove I was using and whether using
my old MSR would have kept this from happening. I don’t believe it would
have. What I know now is that I could not have been careful enough and the
only sure way to keep this from happening was to eat a cold supper.

     In California there are serious criminal and civil penalties for
causing a fire like this. The personal feelings of guilt and remorse are
serious as well. It is impossible to describe the helplessness I felt
watching fire spread up that canyon. I can’t imagine what it would feel like
had there been serious property damage or personal injury. I hope that
others will read this and realize that if this happened to me it can happen
to them. A pot of Lipton Noodles is not worth it. Please be careful!

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of AsABat
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 4:55 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Denatured alcohol...

I also use alcohol stoves most of the time. However, some do seem to
think if they don't see a flame they can pick it up. I've seen it.
Hikers wear a lot of nylon, which melts and sticks to your skin when it
burns. Be careful.

A couple years ago a brush fire was started by thruhikers knocking over
their alcohol stove into the brush. A stove is still a fire - that is,
it has a flame - and therefore needs to be used only in a clearing. 

During extreme fire danger, wood and charcoal fires are often banned in
So Cal. A couple years ago they also banned stoves that could not be
turned off, effectively banning the "Pepsi" style stoves. I suppose a
Trangia might have been ok.

In a past life I was a volunteer firefighter. I still volunteer with a
couple sheriff civilian volunteer organizations, and still see the harm
caused by fire, both to people and to nature. Be careful out there. It's
going to be dry. (Although reported to be snowing at Onyx Summit near
Big Bear this morning.)

AsABat


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