COLUMBIA – An 80-acre fire spread through the iconic Rock Face of Mount Tammany Del Water Gap last week. Forest Fire Service: “Almost certainly started by humans.”
The fire, officially known as “Rock Face Fire” has been extinguished since Feb 25 but an investigation is still ongoing. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area is seeking the public’s help for assisting the investigation.
The fire, which started on Sunday, took 50 firefighters and two days to combat the flames. Rain on Wednesday, Feb 26, completely extinguished the fire.
Lehigh Valley Live reports that the park’s facebook page received great attention after posting pictures first believed to depict the folks responsible for starting the fire. The post was later removed after claims that the photos were unrelated.
Greg McLaughlin, head of NJ Forest Fire Service told Lehigh Valley Live “- the fire was almost certainly caused by humans. The weather was beautiful when the blaze started on Sunday, drawing many hikers and ruling out a lightning strike.”
As of March 2, 2020 the Red Dot Trail has small patches of burn spots of comprised of brush and leaves and a few downed trees.
The Delaware Water Gap receives almost 4 million visitors annually.
A local hiker, who regularly traverses the Red Dot Trail with a motorcycle helmet, told #EyesOnNJ News, the photos shared on Feb 23 with the orange glow were greatly dramatized. “The fire was on a rock mountain. What’s it going to burn?” The hiker went on to praise the firefighters for great work of climbing the trail with heavy gear.
This story will be updated when new information is available.
