Engine Burned on Flint Canyon Fire 2012

On September 6, 2012, at 1339, Power County reported a fire to the Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center (EIIFC). Engine 3462 was dispatched to the newly reported fire at 1344. When E3462 arrived on scene, it was assigned to work the northeast side of the fire. E3462 began securing the northern perimeter of the fire, working from the anchor point heading west. When E3462 reached the northwest corner of the fire they could no longer continue with mobile attack. E3462 and chase vehicle were subsequently parked along the fire’s edge at the northwest corner (heel) of the fire and utilized to support a hose lay and direct line construction into the canyon. While the crew was engaged in fire suppression efforts, a crew member spotted smoke in the vicinity of the engine. The first crewmember to reach the engine arrived and discovered the rear of the engine engulfed in flames. The crewmember quickly assessed the situation and determined that due to the rate the fire was spreading, E3462 could not be saved and turned his attention to saving the chase vehicle, which was parked next to the engine. The crewmember was able to safely move the chase vehicle before it was impacted by the flames. At approximately 1840 hours, E3462 was overtaken by flames and destroyed. E3462 was a total loss. No injuries resulted from this incident.