Mountain Camps in Path of Fire Evacuated

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. — Several children’s camps in remote stretches of Angeles National Forest were evacuated Monday although flames from a nearly week-old, 12,560-acre fire were miles away, authorities said.

Ground crews working the fire made a grisly discovery of human bones in the Prairie Fork area. The skeleton was turned over to the San Bernardino County coroner’s office, Sgt. Tom Neely said.

Twenty-three aircraft made sorties with water and retardant drops in support of 2,218 firefighters tackling the wildfire on the ground as flames enveloped stands of pine on the steep slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The blaze was 55% contained. Remnants of tropical storm Ignacio could move into the area today and bring a welcome shower, forecasters said.

“Some . . . camps have been evacuated, although no campers were in danger. It was a precautionary evacuation,” U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Linda Christman said.

The focus of firefighters’ efforts was construction of a line on the northwest side of the fire, the spokeswoman said.

The fire started Aug. 13 when a camper burned toilet paper in the East Fork of San Gabriel Canyon. The area 40 miles northeast of Los Angeles had not burned since 1953.

Firefighters were contending with heavy brush and steep terrain.

There were nine minor injuries to firefighters.

Authorities said the overall cost of putting out the fire and reseeding the slopes was expected to be at least $18 million.