The Capitan Gap Fire ; "The last thing standing was the forest sign."
Many have answered this question wrong, believe it or not. No, its name is not Smokey the Bear. There is no "the" in the name. Duh. But, here's the real shocker; his original name was not Smokey Bear, either!
The small guy was originally named "Hotfoot Teddy" the cub was renamed Smokey Bear, after the U.S. Forest Service/Advertising Council fire prevention poster mascot (originated in 1944). The Capitan Gap Fire was caused when a cook stove over heated and started casting sparks. It was actually the first of two fires that began on Thursday, May 4th, 1950 in Lincoln National Forest, in New Mexico in the Capitan mountain range. Even though it was never determined, it was believed that a discarded cigarette started the second fire. The fires eventually combined to destroy 17,000 acres of forest land. (A small fire if you compared it to forest fires these days). Four days after the fire started, a 70 mile per hour wind made it impossible to control the blaze. The fire flared and started to race and crown. Nineteen firemen were trapped while the raging holocaust roared over them. They were stuck in a recently constructed firebreak, miraculously a landslide on the firebreak provided them with enough dirt to bury themselves in the earth. They all survived the fire. Some of the fire crew would later say, "We now know just how a slice of toast feels."
Another fire crew found Hotfoot Teddy clinging to a charred tree in the burned Capitan range. His name was well earned, since the little black bear cub suffered bad burns on his body-including on his feet.
Just a small piece of history, trying to set the record straight on the information not included on the "Prevent Forest Fires" literature.
