A conservationist criticized irresponsible campers for setting fires that are destroying a black bear habitat near Lake Tahoe.
Ann Bryant, who heads the group Tahoe Bear League, told KNX that while climate change is largely to blame for the intensity of the state's many fires, a significant number of the fires are being started by careless people.
“There’s so many people that are coming from the cities and people that travel in here with no clue how to be here,” said Bryant.
“They are lighting fires. They are having campfires even though there’s a total burn ban. They ignore that.”
The damage done to the black bear population is ruinous to California's entire ecosystem, according to Bryant.
“It’s a bleak outlook when we start burning our bear’s up,” she said.
The U.S. National Park Service called habitat loss the biggest threat to, not only black bears, but all types of bears in the United States.
Along with smaller wildfires, the Tamarack Fire continues to rage. The fire is killing bears and badly burning many others.
Video of an injured bear cub that was rescued after it suffered burns in a California wildfire gained attention online. The cub is being nursed back to health at a wildlife center at Lake Tahoe.
Bryant said if you spot a bear seeking shelter, leave some water out for it, take pictures and wait for rescue crews to arrive.