The
Rachel Anne Gray Foundation
The fire started due to an unfortunate rollover on Cadillac Hill. Three guests were injured, but were responded and rescued by trained paramedics and doctors within minutes. The fire was result of the roll-over and was also responded to within minutes by Jeepers Jamboree staff. Trained fire choppers were onsite and dropping water on the area within the hour.
Officer Dan Stark of the CHP said that Rachel Anne Gray, 21, of El Dorado Hills, was traveling on the Rubicon Trail in Placer County, “heading northbound on the trail, near the middle of Cadillac Hill” when she veered off the side of the Road. The vehicle rolled over multiple times, ejecting Gray and her unidentified male passenger, 34, of Pilot Hill. The vehicle caught fire which also set fire to the surrounding area. Gray suffered “major injuries” while the passenger suffered “minor injuries,” Stark said.
Rebecca Murphy of the Georgetown Gazette reported that “Gasoline spewed from the vehicle as it rolled 150-200 feet down the cliff.” Murphy reported that in notes brought out of the Rubicon by someone who walked out, that a woman identified by Stark as Gray had fallen into the gasoline when the vehicle caught fire, causing “the flames (to shoot up) the hill. The flames burned off her clothes and from 70 to 90 percent” of her body.
The two-acre blaze closed a county road, said Ann Westling, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. A helicopter crew was working to contain the fire, she said.
The Jeepers Jamboree guests and staff were in a safe environment in the Rubicon Springs. The Rubicon Trail, a County Road, was closed at the commonly known spot of Cadillac Hill. So named for the old Cadillac found up toward the top of the Hill. All that remains after years of scavenging are the chassis and some drivetrain components. Cadillac is a long tough hill with some sections of loose rock and a few hairpin turns. Most of it is one vehicle wide. Cadillac Hill is a steep section of trail leveling off and providing a wonderful vista of the Rubicon Trail.
The 60th Jeepers Jamboree has been extended due to a fire on the exit path of the Rubicon Trail. The Jeepers usually end their trek Sunday night, said officials. Guests have been asked to stay in Rubicon Springs as they manage the fire Sunday instead of attempting to exit back through Loon Lake.
The Forest Service has been diligently containing the fire, and Jeepers Jamboree guests have been asked to stay in Rubicon Springs and enjoy another day of relaxation. “We have had a wonderful 60th celebration this weekend,” said Dan DeWolf. “This has thrown a bit of a wrench in the exit plan for some, but we are happy to have them stay with us another day, feed everyone and enjoy another night of celebration.”
The five-day excursion usually brings Jeep enthusiasts from throughout the world to the Rubicon Trail in El Dorado and Placer counties, each year. About 400 vehicles make the bumpy trek annually.
Lacey Stiles, an employee of Jeepers Jamboree Inc. in Georgetown, said that Jamboree participants would have to stay in camp overnight because the road was closed. She said they didn't have enough gas to turn around. Stiles said she was calling family members to alert them to the delay.
The accident is being investigated by the CHP. El Dorado County deputies assisted the Placer County Sheriff's Department with the incident.
Any additional information or updates will be posted on
www.JeepersJamboree.com and on Jeepers Jamboree Facebook page.
Cris Alarcon, Placerville Newswire, July 29, 2012
