Cedar Mountain 1994

The Cedar Mountain Fire, about 9 miles south of Blairsville, Georgia, on the Brasstown Ranger District of the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia, was first reported at 1442 hours on November 20, 1994, to the Union County 911 dispatch. The fire was started by a hunter warming his lunch on the south side of Cedar Mountain. The fire spread in the hardwood leaves, rhododendron, and mountain laurel brush rapidly and efforts by the hunter to extinguish the fire proved futile. The first crew went in with the Incident Commander was in the burned over area above the road and a second crew was on the road near the left (west) flank of the fire. This second crew was scattered with some resting and some scouting the fire. Between 1730 and 1735, the second crew noticed the fire building in intensity below the road. The fire initiated a run out of the creek, across the road, up the ridge, and spotted below the road on the other side of the ridge. This separated Mary Jo Brown from the other firefighters. Three firefighters including Mary Jo Brown decided to deploy their fire shelters in the road. One of the other firefighters moved, redeployed, and then using her shelter as a shield ran off the mountain. Mary Jo Brown moved, redeployed, and perished in her shelter.