Fuego San Ignacio

At about 5pm on August 1 a wild fire broke out during the annual Festival de San Ignacio. The fire raged out of control for about 6 hours before firefighters from the near by village of Mulege were able to contain the blaze.
The firefighters from near-by towns were delayed by both the suddenness of the inferno, poorly maintained roads and the remote location of San Ignacio itself. Flames shot into the night reaching towards the desert sky. The palm trees became matchsticks erupting into fireballs shooting up hundreds of feet towards the desert stars.[slideshow]
The next day, amongst the smoldering ruins of the burned palm trees, the wind picked up once more and ignited a second blaze, which claimed the property of a local family. No one was injured in the fire; a number livestock were lost along with the property.
San Ignacio is a sleepily little oasis town located in a remote desert in southern Baja California. As a UNESCO world heritage site, the San Ignacio Lagoon located an hours drive towards the coast from the town, is host to the Pacific Grey Whales during the months of February and March. The grey whales come to San Ignacio Lagoon to breed. This attracts visitors from around the world and provides San Ignacio with income from tourism. The rest of the year the people of San Ignacio depend on commercial fishing as a source of sustenance.
At the moment the source of the fire has not been determined though most locals believe it to have been caused by a reckless fiesta patron.