Fire blazes through remote Death Valley hot springs campground, prompting closure

A fire tore through part of a remote Death Valley National Park campground Tuesday evening, burning dozens of palm trees and destroying a volunteer host site before officials temporarily closed the area.

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The fire at Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground, “about 40 miles from the nearest paved road,” caught fire around 7 p.m., according to the National Park Service Wednesday. Campers and volunteer hosts were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported.

“Right now, we need the public to stay away from Saline Valley Campground until the hazards are assessed and dealt with and the site can be safe for the public to access,” Death Valley Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in a statement.

The blaze was contained to the Lower Spring area, where most of the roughly 80 nonnative palm trees burned. The trees’ skirts of dead palm fronds served as the fire’s primary fuel, the Park Service said. 

A shed at the volunteer camp host site that may have contained hazardous materials was destroyed, prompting the campground closure. Other infrastructure there was also damaged.

Saline Valley Warm Springs is a remote collection of thermal pools and campsites reached by hours of travel on rough roads. Developed decades before the area joined Death Valley National Park in 1994, the site includes soaking tubs and other amenities built by early visitors, who also planted lawns and palm trees around the desert springs.

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The Park Service’s initial assessment found that piping serving the Lower Spring soaking pools melted in the fire, though the tubs themselves appeared undamaged, and the Palm Springs section of the campground did not burn.

The isolated campground has also presented dangers for visitors over the years. Former camp host Tom Ganner previously told SFGATE that people had died at the springs and along the roads leading to them after vehicles broke down and visitors went looking for help.

In late 2020, 63-year-old San Francisco resident Donald Vanneman III died at the springs while the campground and soaking pools were closed during the early COVID-19 pandemic, SFGATE previously reported. Two visitors found his body in a source pool, according to the Park Service at the time.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. It was not immediately clear how long Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground would remain closed.