Cinco de Mayo Fire Entrapment 1997

On May 5, 1997, two Florida Division of Forestry firefighters were building line on the right flank of the Cinco De Mayo fire in Collier County. The lead tractor was plowing a fireline, with the second tractor doing blade work to widen the line in cap rock pine/palmetto fuels. The tractors were 200+ yards apart. The winds most of that day were out of the northeast with an occasional windshift from the east. At about 17:30 the two Caloosahatchee Rangers started plowing a line south from 68th Street flanking the fire which had 4 foot flame lengths at the time. At 18:00 the Rangers were contacted by the Incident Commander, Caloosahatchee-5, with word of a wind shift out of the east and blowup conditions. The second tractor, immediately built a safety zone and prepared for deployment with no time to escape the fast moving head fire. He deployed his shelter under intense wind and smoke conditions in front of the blade of his tractor with the plow facing the oncoming head fire. He spent 8 minutes in the shelter as the head fire with 30-35 foot fame length went over his safety area. The lead Ranger was able to locate a open grass/pine area and also built a safety zone. He stayed with his enclosed tractor until he was able to go into the black.