Historic Borax Wagon lost to fire in Death Valley

[DAW89446]

Historic Borax Wagon lost to fire in Death Valley (kolotv.com)

https://sierrawave.net/death-valley-hist...t-to-fire/

[MojaveGeek]

That's a shame. Last year I noted how nicely laid out the new-ish outdoor part of the museum is, lots of big pieces of old equipment, and I think that's where the wagon was?

[DAW89446]

Unless it has been moved, the set sat for decades in front of the Furnace Creek Ranch. Or whatever they call it nowadays. Oasis? It's been probably two decades since I've stopped in to get gas or have a meal there.

[trailhound]

The wagon was not particularly close to anything as I recall. How does it catch on fire? Arson? If I am off base here, please educate me.

[DAW89446]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_MnuDXa...drive_link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JWx9lHJ...drive_link

Looks to be in the same spot as it was when I took these 1996 photos.

[MojaveGeek]

Here is another article about the fires.
https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/...414716.php

This one has a few nice (but irrelevant) photos. I wonder how old is the photo of the haystacks? I went out hunting for them about 10 years ago, and found plenty of sites with remains, but I don't recall any quite so distinctly tall.

As for the location of Dinah, I looked at my old pix and by 2020 the engine and cars were to be found in the updated outdoor display at the Borax Museum. If you've not seen this, it is worth a stop. All the big stuff is nicely arrayed in tows outside where you can just walk around and look at it.

In any case, where the fire occurred was not out front by the road in the location it had been in for many many years.

[DAW89446]

What's not being said in all these sources is of any suspicions of causes for these fires. I have no clue as to the locations of each of the fires, but seem to me to be far enough apart that they are not caused by spread. I suspect arson. But the articles are not saying.

[MojaveGeek]

Arson seems likely here but I am not familiar with the layout of the places mentioned other than the outdoor exhibits of the Borax Museum since the major rebuilding there of a few years ago. The outdoor display is near the area where we parked to shop at the store; my friends went in and I wandered over to the display. I don't recall much right around there in terms of buildings, but one of the articles mentioned pre-fab employee housing units. I think current employee housing tends to be near the road on the south end of the property?

A single fire, you might blame on a carelessly tossed cigarette, but two...?? And in the middle of the night?