Devil Fire Entrapment 2003

The involved personnel were assigned as holding forces during a firing operation along a ridge in steep terrain. The firing operation started at approximately 2235 hours. The firing operation could not get the fire to carry, and was terminated at approximately 0050 hours. About 10 minutes later, the main fire activity increased dramatically, causing fire on the opposite side of the ridgeline. The fire spread quickly upslope toward the personnel. The dozers and crew, realizing that they could not make it to a designated safety zone, began to clear an area. When it became apparent that the fire would reach them before they could complete a safety zone, the decision was made to deploy their fire shelters. 53 firefighters deployed their fire shelters, and remained inside for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The 2 dozer operators took refuge on their dozer (enclosed cabs). After the passage of the fire front, the personnel remained at the deployment site for approximately 1 hour. After the area was safe to travel, they walked down to a safety zone, before being transported to the incident base.