Cinders & Ash: Somber Photos of Tuolumne Camp Devastation by City Staff

It seems unbelievable – a tent cabin untouched amid the grim vista of charred and still-smoldering ruins that once were Berkeley's Tuolumne Camp in the Sierras.

A series of photos by Berkeley city staff during their visit this past week to the the 91-year-old camp provide somber and vivid testimony of the ferocity of the Rim Fire inferno that consumed the facility on Aug. 25.

A fireplace and its chimney stand alone among the blackened rubble and ashes that were once the dining hall. Small flames still lick at what's left of one of the charred bridges. 

All the main structures were destroyed, and the tent cabins in the main camp area were burned or damaged, the staff reported.

But surprisingly, three structures were untouched – two tent cabins and a building housing bathrooms in the "Sun City" area of the camp.

The attached photos by city staff were taken during their inspection tour on Monday.

The U.S. Forest Service and inter-agency command fighting the Rim Fire reported tonight, Friday, that the fire is 80 percent contained.

Earlier this week, fire officials said the fire, which began Aug. 17, was started by a hunter's illegal fire. 

It has burned 246,350 acres (385 square miles), including part ofYosemite National Park.

Berkeley officials have said they are working with the Forest Service, local officials in Tuolumne County and the city's insurance adjuster among others to determine what happens next for the camp. 

Related articles:

• Berkeley Officials Tour Destroyed Tuolumne Camp – Fate Uncertain
• Hunter's Illegal Fire Blamed for Huge Rim Fire in Sierras
• Illegal Pot Farm May Have Caused Huge Rim Fire
• Colossal Inferno – Time-Lapse of Rim Fire at Yosemite
• Berkeley Officials Not Optimistic About Tuolumne Camp After Fire
• Berkeley's Tuolumne Camp Burns in Sierras Wildfire
  
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