Morgan Fire Pictures

[Veronica]

Two weeks ago the Morgan Fire burned over 3,000 acres on Mount Diablo. Yesterday we hiked through the burn area.

http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Other/Morgan-Fire/i-Cx99vb7/0/X2/_1050351-X2.jpg

http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Other/Morgan-Fire/i-fq46NFm/0/X2/P1020012-X2.jpg
Trash never really does go away.

http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Other/Morgan-Fire/i-bgt5ZXX/0/X2/_1050384-X2.jpg

The rest of the pictures are here (http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Other/Morgan-Fire/32056323_NCcvrP#!i=2783878334&k=r6z96qd).

Veronica

[smilingcat]

I hope wild animals made it out okay. And I hope grass and other ground cover comes back before the rain season!! I realize wild fire is part of nature but it still is hard to face. Was this fire started by man or by nature?

Out of curiosity, did it still smell smokey?

[Veronica]

Yes, it still was quite smokey smelling. We saw a lot of birds and deer tracks on the trail. No squirrels or other small game though.

Veronica

[PamNY]

Interesting photos -- thanks. I've never seen anything like that.

I saw a news story which said target shooting was a suspected cause.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Mt-Diablo-fire-traced-to-target-shooting-4809303.php

[Veronica]

There are a couple of shooting ranges near where it started.

Veronica

[kajero]

your photos are beautiful and show a tragic scene. I hope everything will eventually return to what it was before.

[Veronica]

Thanks!

We plan on going out there every couple of weeks to document the regrowth. There are some plants that will really benefit from the fire and larger carnivores (bobcats, foxes) are getting a ton of crispy food now. The tarantulas, squirrels and other small animals didn't fare so well. We saw a tarantula crossing the road at the start of our hike and I just kept hoping he made it safely.

Veronica

[PamNY]

I'll be interested to see your photos of regrowth. As I said, I've read about these things but never had a chance to observe them.