Canyon Inn Fire Entrapment 1968

The Canyon Fire started on August 23, 1968 under Santa Ana wind conditions in the mountains adjacent to Azusa, California. The fire burned rapidly, including onto the Angeles National Forest. The following day, the juvenile firefighters of Los Angeles County Crew 4-4 were deploying a hoselay when they were overrun by fire. 

Those crewmembers of Crew 4-4 lost on the Canyon Fire were: Gregory Banks, Duane Battle, Larry Carlin, Arthur Mendible, Robert Rivera, William Rodriguez, George Thomas, and Earl Walzer.

The entrapment of juvenile firefighters on the Canyon Inn Fire triggered a re-evaluation of the LA County juvenile fire program, which had previously seen fireline fatalities on the 1955 Hacienda Fire and the 1960 Magic Mountain Fire. 

Hand Crews, Fire Behavior, Fatality, Entrapment