Some residents in the Maxwell Falls area are frustrated that the U.S. Forest Service isn’t taking advantage of their offer to walk through the area to look for unattended campfires that could have devastating consequences for Evergreen and Conifer.
The residents offered their sharp eyes, walking feet and area knowledge to the U.S. Forest Service after an unattended campfire on Oct. 24 was spotted by a neighbor and was extinguished by firefighters before it got out of control.
The Forest Service says having anyone — whether sanctioned or not — hiking in the popular park off of Brook Forest Road gives others who are not supposed to be there an excuse to hike there, too.
But Mindy Hanson, who lives near Maxwell Falls, said removing daily hikes increases the risk of a fire getting out of control because neighbors know where people tend to camp.
“We could have had another Paradise, Calif., fire here if no one had found (the fire on Oct. 24), Hanson said. “We feel this is a serious concern, a serious danger, and they are brushing us off.”
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