May 25, 2009 4:27 pm US/Pacific
Hikers Trapped By 150-Acre Joshua Tree Park Blaze
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
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A dozen hikers were trapped by a wildfire at Joshua Tree National Park but were airlifted to safety Sunday afternoon. (File)
CBS
A desert wildfire trapped a dozen hikers near Lost Horse Mine and scorched 150 acres of Joshua trees, pinyon pine and juniper bush in the center of Joshua Tree National Park, a ranger at headquarters in Twentynine Palms said Monday.
The fire was 50 percent contained at midafternoon today, and was expected to be fully contained Tuesday morning, firefighters said. Rangers closed Keys View Road and parking areas at Oyster Bar and Hall of Horrors, but reopened the Geology Tour Road Monday.
The hikers were evacuated safely by helicopter Sunday afternoon, said park spokesman Joe Zarki. The fire was reported 5 percent contained at 11 p.m. last night, the most recent estimate available at park headquarters Monday morning, said Park Ranger Pam Tripp.
Fire officials near the sprawling park first received word of the blaze at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Zarki said.
A group of 12 hikers were on the Lost Horse Mine Trail when they came upon the fire and could not retreat back down the trail, according to Zarki.
The hikers were never in immediate danger, but they were airlifted to safer ground nonetheless, Zarki said.
Other aircraft, including tanker planes, were ordered to help battle the fire, Zarki said.
The cause of the fire remained undetermined Monday, Tripp said. The Twentynine Palms headquarters is about 20 miles from the fire and Tripp said she has to wait for information updates from personnel near the burned areas.
Six hand crews worked on the fire overnight. Agencies involved include the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Cal Fire and the Forest Service, Tripp said.
Rangers and firefighters are concerned the fire is damaging habitat for threatened desert tortoises, Zarki said.
Firefighters burned brush around the 106-year-old Lost Horse Mine to deny fuel to the fire and establish a protective buffer. The mine location is home to one of the park's largest and best-preserved stamp mills used for processing gold ore, Zarki said.
The Lost Horse Mine was discovered in 1893 and produced over 9,000 ounces of gold before it ceased operation, Zarki said.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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