California Highway Patrol officers responded Thursday morning to a car fire in Truckee that the driver reportedly started to try to scare away bears.
According to CHP Officer Carlos Perez, officers responded around 5:30 a.m. to reports of a car fire alongside Interstate 80 near the Farad exit. The Sac Bee reports when officers arrived, they found that a man had lit a fire on the hood of his car in an attempt to “keep bears away.”
No bears were found in the area and responding officers determined that the man was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Thankfully officers were able to extinguish the fire before it spread to nearby shrubbery which could have started a wildfire.
“We are always appreciative of additional fire extinguisher training, but in case anyone was wondering, no you (can’t) light a fire on the hood of your vehicle to ‘keep the bears away.” –CHP Truckee
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the best way to scare a bear away is to make loud noises and wild motions. Fire will not keep bears away.