Thorn Fire Heavy Equipment Burn Damage 2026

On Thursday, July 16, 2026, at approximately 1600 hours, a CAL FIRE 2023 Caterpillar D5 Bulldozer (DOZ1) was impacted by radiant heat and flame while assigned to the Thorn Incident in San Diego, California. DOZ1 was constructing direct fire line when it experienced a mechanical issue resulting in DOZ1 becoming inoperable. After three attempts, the operator was able to start DOZ1 and operated it in limp mode. DOZ1 was able to gain minimal power and continued with line construction for several more hours. DOZ1 sustained cracked/bubbled windows, blistered plastic, and melted exterior lights. The operator was uninjured.