Covelo South Incident Prescribed Fire Burn Injuries 2026

On May 1, 2026, CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit (MEU) conducted prescribed fire operations on the Covelo South Vegetation Management Project (VMP). The firing plan consisted of two divisions and planned coordination of ground resources conducting hand-firing, along with helitorch (aerial) operations. At approximately 1215 hours, Helicopter 1 (H1) was informed to start work in plot three. Halfway through the first strip, H1 observed a single individual located downslope from the dozer line and directly along H1’s firing path. H1 immediately maneuvered the aircraft down and away from the individual. The individual on the ground was seen early enough to avoid direct overflight from H1. After completing the pass, H1 observed multiple people on the ridgeline rapidly moving away from the ignition area. Four personnel were above the firing location and impacted by advancing fire. All four personnel retreated along the ridgeline utilizing a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV). During the retreat, all four personnel sustained superficial burn injuries.