Also, if properly prepared and geared up, would a fire to "keep warm" in an incredibly tinder-dry canyon have been necessary? The minimum temps that night were approximately 50 degrees. Such disregard is infuriating, as a similar situation occurred in October 1993 re a person trying to "keep warm" on a trail above Eaton Canyon -- but that resulted in a campfire that got out of hand, destroyed 151 homes and injured 67 firefighters.
Yes, the Firecracker Fire I believe. In all fairness, the person who started the Firecracker Fire was a homeless person who started the fire in high winds. I'm not excusing this group, but at least they didn't rise to the level of idiocy of starting a fire in a major wind event.
Supposedly, they were found outside the closure area. I don't have good information on that, though. There are a lot of side canyons, so maybe.
HJ
