Caches + Fire

[+T.D.M.22]

Just wondering how many people have caches destroyed by fire? I've had 2 this year, and the second one wasn't even sent in for review yet.

[+Planet]

I have

It was arson.

[+The A-Team]

Haven't lost any of mine, but I was the last to find a cache the day before it was destroyed by fire. Here's the re-enable log with photos of the melted container and remnants of the building. It was replaced nearby, but only lasted a couple of months before going missing and being archived.

And no, I didn't start the fire!

[AZcachemeister]

Happened once, back in 2005.

Lime Creek Springs

The cache got burned up before the FTF.

It probably would have been OK if I hadn't hidden it under that old log. When the log burned, it toasted the container.

 

EDITED for speeling.

Edited August 13, 2012 by AZcachemeister

[+chasclifton]

Just wondering how many people have caches destroyed by fire? I've had 2 this year, and the second one wasn't even sent in for review yet.

 

Not my own, but last year I had to notify another area cacher that his had been burned over in a forest fire. He archived it, but now, a year later, that spot is still vacant, so I'm thinking ...

[+Don_J]

I've had ten destroyed in four adjacent canyons, by the same fire. Then, a week later I lost five caches in a fire that started five miles from the first that was only stopped because it ran into the first burn area. The second fire took 450 Mobile homes out, so I kind of kept things in perspective.

 

BTW, contrary to popular belief, ammo cans are not fireproof. While the metal itself will usually survive, any paper inside will turn to ash and everything that can melt, will. Plus, the rubber seal will disintegrate and basically turn to powder. Without a seal, they make quite a racket when you march them back out of the hills.

 

Here is the remains of a cache that I found after a fire. It was a treasure chest and the stones were spray painted gold to look like treasure. Note the scorched TB tags. The container itself was complete ash.

 

[+Dogfort]

I had a cache planted underneath an abandoned car in the woods. Hoodlums come and burnt the car. My cache was a small slab of burnt plastic the following day.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Many times. Among my hides, I see at least 20 containers lost to fire.

In a couple of locations, ammo cans have been burnt twice.

 

I once got a deal on 6 ammo cans for $30, and was psyched about new caches, but that spring fire season, I used every single one of them replacing burnt caches.

 

Meanderings - stage of puzzle matchsafe

2.2 - ammo can

matsukaze - pelican case

peccary chess - ammo can and lock and loc stage

the funnel - ammo can

congregation of oaks - decon

lonely palmettos - ammo cans (twice)

twin towers - small

go to the head of the pon d- (decon - twice, and this needs another replacement....)

gorgeous woods - ammo can

no hills here - large lock and lock

canaly trail cache - ammo can twice, + other stages

croom series bonus cache - ammo can (twice)

my pal - ammo can - twice

Edited August 13, 2012 by Isonzo Karst

[+StarBrand]

Its happened to one of mine this year. Forest fire.

 

I've lost 3 others in the past. 2 to wildfires, 1 to a controlled burn (landowner forgot about my cache there).

[+J the Goat]

Found a cache (placed by a friend of mine) that made it through a large fire. The cache was a large ammo can, and so remained intact. It was fun digging through the swag that's still in the cache that made it through the fire. It adds some very interesting character to the cache and the experience

[+3doxies]

Several in this area got caught up in some controlled burns in local forests a couple of years ago.

[+Mike & Jess]

I have one cache that may have been caught in a forest fire. I haven't had a chance to hike in to check on it yet.

 

I also posted this same topic on our local forum (NOG forum). A few members still need to get out and check a couple caches, but nothing reported yet.

[+hzoi]

Several caches were taken out around Eglin Air Force Base in Florida after controlled burns. Here's one, illustrating Don J's point: ammo cans make good ovens.

 

[4wheelin_fool]

This is a flame thread, isn't it?

[+zircon101]

I wonder if any geo-cachers have uncovered evidence for forest fire arson ?

 

http://wildfiretoday.com/tag/arson/

 

Sam

[+T.D.M.22]

Unless it was obvious like fireworks, or they found a crater from explosives I doubt it(assuming they are not fire investigators). I don't think a cacher will just by chance happen to have a dog that sniff outs flammables, or look at every little piece of wood on the ground to see if it was a match.

[+SwineFlew]

Any caches in this fire is history.

 

Its about to hit the wilderness area really soon.

 

Someone found a cache near by on the 9th. The fire should have burn up the cache by now.

 

here a picture that they posted.

 

Edited September 22, 2012 by SwineFlew

[+jellis]

Almost lost one in Nevada but the fire missed my bush. Did lose a geocoin in a forest fire when I sent my sister a Utah geocoin and she activated it with the mission to come to me in the SF Bay area in Calif. But somehow it detoured to SoCal and ended up in the big fire they had down there years ago.