"Disaster Tourists" rush to Lake Tahoe Fire

Posted: 6/29/07 at 11:45am

I love Lake Tahoe. I've vacationed there several times, most recently in April. I was sick to see this week's forest fire destroy so much beauty, but more sickened to see this story about "Disaster Tourists" rushing in to photograph burned homes or to videotape fire fighters at work.

"Onlookers drawn by the spectacle of the fire and firefighters' dramatic efforts have at times fought with Tahoe residents and blocked traffic in attempts to wander close to fire zones. "They're the disaster tourists," said Rex Norman, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. "They're people who seem to have driven long distances to look at burned houses, which is extraordinarily difficult for the affected residents."

Sheriff's officials who have been working neighborhood checkpoints say they have run into out-of-towners trying to sneak into burned areas. A volunteer at one checkpoint told The Chronicle that carloads of gawkers have pretended to be news reporters in hopes of getting in to see the destruction. They were turned away."

Anyone got any ideas why folks want to see other people's misery first hand?


SFGate

[Elphaba]

Posted: 6/29/07 at 11:50am

because they are sick f**cks?

They should be arrested. Two days ago we had a pretty bad traddic accident, a Solara did not yield the right of way and a hummer slammed into it.
Steve had picked me up at the airport and we were heading home when we got stuck in the traffic......NOT because the police had the lane blocked off we were in, but because of the sick f**cks who rushed to the scene to gawk, idiots the lot of them

Posted: 6/29/07 at 12:01pm

I know the officials have tried to keep people out of the fire zone as much as possible-- I tried to imagine being a Tahoe homeowner who was waiting to see what happened to my house knowing that "Disaster Toruists" were sneaking in to take pictures of it.