Somebody at a hunting club nearby was burning something in a barrel and it got out of hand.

Authorities announced Wednesday that the Lick fire was started by careless behavior at a private hunting camp near a spot called Booze Lake, just outside the state park boundary. They said someone was burning something in a barrel and the flames got out of control.

Officials did not identify the person, but said he or she may be liable for the costs of fighting the blaze – $1.8 million by Wednesday and climbing.

Meanwhile, although only a scattered handful of buildings were immediately threatened, authorities faced a dilemma: If the fire continues to burn eastward, it could travel farther into dense wilderness and become even more difficult to fight. But if it moves west, it potentially could threaten developed areas in the foothills above the Santa Clara Valley.

For most of Wednesday, the Lick fire, named because it was first spotted Monday from Lick Observatory, was moving east through a remote and largely isolated region

of the park.

“That could all change in a matter of hours,” said Matt McCaslin, a strike team leader from the Santa Cruz fire department, one of many agencies assisting in the battle.

Thanks, guys, for using such sane disposal methods in a place where there’s been no rain for six months.

The description of the route to the fire sounds suspiciously like they’re taking firetrucks up the Hobbs Road Shortcut. That must make for some interesting driving.

By the way I asked the City Desk to make sure there’s something in tomorrow’s story about whether the rest of the park is still open to hiking/biking etc. I know some of you daredevils will want to be as close to the action as possible.

More good stuff at the Firefighter Blog.