August 18, 2009
National Briefing | West
California: Marijuana Growers Linked to Wildfires

By SOLOMON MOORE
A large wildfire in Santa Barbara County spread from a campfire set by illegal marijuana growers last week, according to the police and fire officials. The blaze, known as the La Brea Fire, burned more than 85,000 acres, fire officials said. The United States Forest Service said in a statement that Mexican drug cartels were suspected of being behind the marijuana operation. Cartel operatives plant marijuana crops in remote fields camouflaged by protected wilderness, drug enforcement officials said. The growers often camp for long periods near their crops and use pesticides and fertilizers, many of which are restricted in the United States and banned in protected forests. They also clear protected forests in order to plant marijuana. Marijuana eradication officials say that environmental damage caused by illegal pot growers often takes years to repair. The La Brea is one of several blazes that forestry crews fought last week, including the Lockheed Fire, as Southern California heads into its dry, windy fire season.