Calif. wildfire sparked by migrants' signal blaze

CAMPO, Calif. – Authorities say a wildfire burning in rural San Diego County was sparked by two illegal immigrants who set a signal fire after they got lost.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Battalion Chief Nick Schuler says the migrants made a cell phone call to Mexico's emergency dispatch system Thursday afternoon saying they'd been lost for two days, were dehydrated and were going to set a signal fire so rescuers could spot them.

Schuler says remnants of a campfire were found, but there was no sign of the migrants.

The fire, between Campo and Potrero, has grown to 822 acres and is 42 percent contained. Full containment is expected Sunday.

No structures are threatened, no roads are closed and there have been no injuries.

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809 Comments

  • 1 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    William 23 hours ago Report Abuse
    If the illegals are only burning California, who cares. California welcomes them so let them deal with it. Doesn't effect the rest of the country.
  • 6 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    Jose the AMERICAN Sat Sep 04, 2010 09:58 am PDT Report Abuse
    Since the Mexican Government encourages their citizens to come north illigally, I would think there should be some legal way of billing the Mexican Government for all damages, as well as for all other costs, such as medical, food aid, housing etc. There should be a nice hungry Law firm that would like to take on a very large Class Action international suit. I haven't done any research as to what is involved when suing another countries government, but I am sure it can be done. Only real problem will be that Eric Halder will use US Taxpayers funds to defend the illegals.
    I for one, and I think millions of other US citizens, will donate to the law suit, as victims of the illegals taking tax payers money, and also damage to property, hopitals too, will probably join in to recoup their loses as well.
    Mexico is a poor 4th rate country, just because of how its citizens conduct themselves. If some of you bleeding hearts who support the illegals haven't seen how they live, just drive through any cities barrio in one of the south western states. They have brought the filth and trash with them.
  • 6 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    bee O bee Sat Sep 04, 2010 09:21 am PDT Report Abuse
    I live south east of Tucson and 99.9% of the "suspicious" or "human caused" wildfires in southern Arizona are caused by the wet-backs.
  • 5 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    D. Saster! Sat Sep 04, 2010 09:14 am PDT Report Abuse
    Illegal immigrants, There not doing any harm? No!!!!!!!! There just here setting the fires that Good honest hard working tax paying Americans don't want to set. So, what do you figure it will cost to put this thing out? Any guesses? A couple Million perhaps? Send the bill directly to Barry. After all, if was doing his job this would never have happened.
  • 13 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    America1st Sat Sep 04, 2010 08:42 am PDT Report Abuse
    My wife and I took a ride to the San Gabriel mountains here in California a few years ago. I was shocked when I got out of my car and saw the San Gabriel River was full of trash left by hundreds of Illegal Immigrants living and camping along the banks of this once pristine area of the North Fork. Only ten years before it had been a beautiful getaway for hikers and picnickers from the San Gabriel Valley and other destinations. As I walked along the trail which followed the stream hundreds of non-English speaking Hispanics stared at me as if I should not be there. The stream was littered with dirty pampers, bear bottles,empty food containers along with trash heaps every hundred feet or so ,some of which were six feet high and spilled into the deeply polluted stream bed. Old mattresses and little shanty campsites dotted the banks of the San Gabriel for as far as could be seen. Poorly dressed men of Hispanic decent of all ages drank their beer and roasted tortillas over their open fires. Disappointed and bewildered my wife and I hiked up from the San Gabriel Canyon to our car and as we left we witnessed a young Hispanic family empty several bags of trash along with the usual used pampers on to the roadside as they were leaving. That was an experience we will never forget and we decided then that we would never return to what was no more a beautiful recreation area but had been in a few short years transformed into a Tijuana cesspool. Why do ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TRASH-OUT EVERYTHING???? Is it part of their culture???
  • 10 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    Barry Sat Sep 04, 2010 07:42 am PDT Report Abuse
    One day maybe Obama will do his job and seal our borders then maybe we won't have aliens sneaking around lighting fires.
  • 12 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    Owen Sat Sep 04, 2010 07:37 am PDT Report Abuse
    These are not migrants, these are illegals. They are criminals and it is time to crack down on illegals invading our country.

    Go back home, fill out the proper paperwork, take a few english classes and come here legally.
  • 12 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 6 users disliked this comment
    Well Now Sat Sep 04, 2010 05:59 am PDT Report Abuse
    If only they had burned a mosque, right guys?
  • 18 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    Old Gringo Sat Sep 04, 2010 05:52 am PDT Report Abuse
    If they wanted to find them they could've just followed the trail of feces and trash they leave behind.
  • 23 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    Heinrich Sat Sep 04, 2010 05:49 am PDT Report Abuse
    Can the residents file a class action suit against illegals?

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