FRESNO, Calif. — Six months since the start of the biggest single wildfire in California history, investigators still don't know what caused it.
The Creek fire began burning on Sept. 4 around 6:30 p.m. in the Big Creek drainage, in the forest wedged between Shaver and Huntington Lakes. It quickly raced through both lakes, Mammoth Pool and the San Joaquin River Canyon, burning a total of 379,895 acres before fire managers declared full containment on Dec. 24.
Answers to the fire's mysterious cause remain beyond reach.
The U.S. Forest Service, which is in charge of the investigation, has declined to rule out any causes or provide a timeline for wrapping up the probe.
"Unfortunately, the investigators cannot release anything to us or the public at this time," said Alex Olow, spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service. "We do not want to prematurely release any info that may hinder or compromise the investigation."
Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magisg, who oversees that area, said he receives multiple calls and emails a week inquiring about the fire's cause.
"Residents are frustrated," he said. "There are a lot of rumors out there and a lot of frustration over not knowing what started it."
Magsig said speculation around the cause includes unsubstantiated theories about an escaped campfire near Camp Sierra, arson at the hands of anti-fascist protesters, and a law enforcement operation eradicating an illegal marijuana garden around Big Creek that got out of control.
He said, to date, there has been no evidence to support any of these theories.
Tony Botti, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said deputies are not involved in the investigation. But he ruled out the idea of an illegal marijuana grow.
The narcotics unit, he said, can't remember the last time they came near the area where the fire started. And if they were to eradicate a pot grow, they would haul it elsewhere and dispose of it, but never burn it.
When The Fresno Bee requested records of 911 calls, arrest logs and warrants around Big Creek during the wildfire in December, Frances Devins, Public Records Act Unit commander, said the records would take six to nine months to dig up due to an overwhelming number of pending requests. The Bee has since submitted another request regarding marijuana seizures.
She said the Sheriff's Office has not made "any specific arrests related to the Creek fire."
The California Attorney General's Office has no records of eradicating any pot grows in that area, either, according to records shared with The Bee in response to a Public Records Act request.
In 2020, they eradicated 57,914 illegal marijuana plants in Fresno County through 10 operations. The Bee reviewed the locations of the raids, and none were near the area officials have said the fire originated.
When The Bee requested emails between Cal Fire commanders during the first week of the fire, Cal Fire rejected the public records request, citing the ongoing investigation. A similar records request with the U.S. Forest Service is pending.
The fire ruined a total of 853 structures, the bulk of which were single-family homes, according to the Forest Service. It also damaged 64 structures, including 34 houses.
In total, Olow said fire suppression cost just under $200 million. Adding on property damage, Magsig said the fire cost upwards of $500 million.
"With that, I want answers," Magsig said. "But I recognize there's a perspective I'm missing because I'm not an investigator. If there's any way the Forest Service could at least provide where they are and what they can rule out, I think that would be beneficial."
Several heavy snowfalls have prevented officials from continuing debris cleanup in higher elevations, but contractors and crews from Cal Fire and the Forest Service continue to work on the area.
Beginning in late January, and continuing through May, the Sierra National Forest High Sierra Ranger District has been working on prescribed fire operations aimed at preventing future wildfires and restoring the natural landscape.
On Wednesday, fire personnel from the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire burned piles of logged trees and other debris from the Creek fire around Sugarloaf Road, near Meadow Lakes.
