Fire damages remote Death Valley campground
Last week, Death Valley National Park announced that one of its backcountry campgrounds closed due to fire.
The fire occurred at approximately 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, within the Lower Springs area of the Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground. The Palm Springs area of the campground was not burned.
“Right now, we need the public to stay away from Saline Valley Campground until the hazards are assessed and dealt with and the site can be safe for the public to access.” Death Valley Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in a Sept. 16 statement.
The National Park Service explained that the campground is a very remote area of the park, about 40 miles from the closest paved road. The fire resulted in the destruction of a shed and other infrastructure at the volunteer camp host’s site. The Park Service noted this now-ruined shed as a potential source of hazardous materials.
Skirts of dead palm fronds on about 80 nonnative palm trees acted as fire’s main fuel. A majority of those trees burned. Some of those trees are expected to live.
Piping to and from Lower Springs’ pools melted but soaking tubs seemed unharmed, according to the park service’s initial assessment.
The fire’s cause is being investigated by the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, who is also leading the response.
On Friday, Sept. 18, the park service announced that a portion of the campground reopened but the burned area at Lower Springs is still closed.
Deputy Superintendent Abby Wines told the Pahrump Valley Times in an email that there may still be hot spots. Debris removal will take place once the interior of the area has cooled.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
