Boyd Fire 1985

Forest Rangers Billy Wright and Jimmy Kramer were working together on the right flank of the Boyd Fire when severe spotting began. The winds began shifting more to the north and put the rangers in direct path of the fire. As the wind continued to shift, the spotting caused the rangers to be completely surrounded by a wall of flames with no avenues of escape. They retreated to the woods road, approximately 30 feet and butted their tractors up to each other on the downwind side of the road. Both rangers removed their fire shelters from the tractors and got on the ground on the downwind side of the fire, using their tractors for protection. Ranger Wright did not have time to remove his tent from the plastic cover and shared Ranger Kramer's shelter. As the fire rolled over them, they changed sides of the tractors and continued to use them for protection. A combination of fire shirts and fire shelters, coupled with experience and good judgment, enabled the two rangers to make it through the crisis. Within 30 minutes, both were at Doctors Memorial Hospital where they were treated for smoke and heat inhalation.

Heavy Equipment, Fire Shelter Deployment, Initial Attack, Burn Injury, Entrapment