Only you can find Smokey

The San Diego Union Tribune ^ | January 27, 2004 | Luis Monteagudo Jr.

[South40]

JAMUL – How's this for rubbing salt in a wound: A Smokey Bear statue has been stolen from a federal fire station.

And it was taken while firefighters were battling the wildfires that devastated the region.

This Smokey Bear statue
stood outside a wildlife
refuge fire station near
Jamul until it was
stolen last year.

"Isn't that incredible?" said Bill Molumby, fire management officer for the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex. "It's pretty pathetic."

The statue was in front of the refuge's fire station just outside of Jamul and was discovered missing Nov. 3, said officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Federal officials released information on the theft yesterday.

The Fiberglas statue of Smokey holding a shovel in one hand weighed about 100 pounds and stood between 5 feet and 6 feet tall. The statue, visible from state Route 94, was bolted to a concrete stand and stood next to a sign that provides information about current fire dangers.

Crews from the station had been fighting fires in Riverside and San Diego counties and returned to find the statue had been wrenched from its stand.

The statue had been installed at the station a month before it disappeared. It was one of 25 such statues in the country and the only one of its type in San Diego County.

Flames had come within 30 yards of the statue, but it survived the blaze.

Greg Hultman, coordinator of a fire prevention program, estimated that the statue cost about $3,000. But it had more value than that.

"Smokey the Bear is pretty much the universal symbol for fire prevention," Hultman said.

A $200 reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the statue, said Barbara Simon, a spokeswoman for the refuge.

Anyone with information is asked to call the refuge office at (619) 669-6651 or Hultman at (619) 719-8565.

"I know the community was grateful for the effort of the firefighters and to have this happen is very disappointing," Simon said.

[doberville]

It's all because they took the 'the' out. Since he's been Smokey Bear, it just hasn't been the same. I don't know WHAT it is, I just go all ITCHY when I think about it. It makes me want to do irrational things. . .like put MAYO on corned beef, or sugar on grits. . .

It's HORRIBLE. Wakes me up nights. . .MAKE IT GO AWAY. . .

[jigsaw]

Hard to bear, isn't it?!

[BykrBayb]

Wow! I've taken hotel ashtrays and towels. I must admit, when I was a bad teenager I even stole some really cool gas caps from Mustangs and Gremlins. I even helped steal a flashing neon road sign, and drove it through the center of town, with it flashing and lighting up the car. But a life-sized Smokey Bear statue? Now that's a souvenir!

[South40]

sugar on grits?

Butter or fried eggs, yes. But sugar?! Never!

[South40]

I can understand the Mustang but a Gremlin gascap is cool?

Who knew.

[BykrBayb]

Oh yeah! Gremlin gas caps were worth more than the cars. They had a raised image of a gremlin.