Forty Years Ago: The Golden Gate Estates Fire

The Golden Gates Estates Fire was an arson fire ignited around January 26, 1985, northeast of Naples, Florida. The fire was initially contained on January 29 at 10,000 acres. The following day the fire escaped its lines and began to burn in a northerly direction, opposite the previous direction of fire spread. This rekindle was initial attacked by four tractor-plow units from the Florida Division of Forestry (now the Florida Forest Service). As the units attacked the head of the fire, two tractor-plows were overrun by fire, and their operators suffered burn injuries. An additional tractor-plow operated by Marco Miranda responded to the fire later in the afternoon, and began constructing line ahead of a portion of the head of the fire. A wind increase caused the fire to overrun Miranda's tractor-plow at around 1515, killing Miranda. This fire run caused nine additional injuries on different areas around the head of the fire. 

Schematic of the entrapment area on the Golden Gate Estates Fire.

The investigation report, prepared by the Florida Division of Forestry, identified 34 findings and lessons from the fatality accident, divided into several categories. A few of these are presented below:

Personnel

• The victim met minimum State Fire Standards training requirements, but his actual firefighting experience was limited to 22 fire assignments.
• Structured training related to unique local fire behavior conditions was not provided to personnel.
• Personnel on fire considered the situation to be routine, until fire blew up.
• Fire personnel were unable to explain the severe fire behavior experienced.
• No structured safety briefings were provided at district or local level to firefighters. 

Fire Behavior

• Freeze kill of fuels, drought conditions, and winds combined to create the potential for an intense blow-up condition.
• There was a rapid transition from “routine fire” conditions to blow-up conditions.
• Extreme rate of spread during blow-up resulted in a very short time for reaction by the victim, precluding escape or deployment of fire shelter. 

Fire Management

• Florida Division of Forestry policy is to control wildfires quickly at the smallest acreage possible. The primary tactic was direct attack on the fire head with plows without burning out.
• Several houses were in the fire area. Suppression strategy was to protect houses.
• Fire weather forecasts for this part of Florida are inadequate and do not have credibility with fire personnel. 

How do these findings from 40 years ago resonate today? How have wildland fire practitioners learned from events like the Golden Gate Estates entrapment, and what work do we still have left to do?

Marco Miranda, 1957-1985