Wildfire Started By Bicycle Pedal Striking Rock In Eastern Sierra Nevada

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. (AP) -- Fire investigators have concluded that a small wildfire in the Eastern Sierra Nevada was sparked by a bicycle pedal striking a rock.

A U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman says Wednesday evidence found along a mountain bike trail in Inyo National Forest led investigators to determine the cause of the August 5^th blaze.

Kirstie Butler said investigators found a piece of the metal pedal and shaving from a rock strike in the area where the fire began on August 5. The spark ignited a fire that charred 122 acres of tinder-dry grass 20 miles southeast of Mammoth Lakes.

Butler says the finding demonstrates how dry the state's wildlands are due to the ongoing drought.

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