Fish Day 1994

A wildland fire behavior event occurred during the Fish Day Fire, May 26, 1994. Вecause of an unforecastable wind shift, a North Carolina Division of Forest Resources (NCDFR) Tractor and Plow Strike Team experienced a life threatening situation. The strike team consisted of a leader, 4 dozer operators and 4 crewman. Each operator operated an Incident Command System type 1 dozer. The strike team's assignment was to construct containment lines on the northwest flank of the fire. As a standard safety practice the strike team was firing a black line, creating a safety zone. When the wind shift occurred, spot fires ignited across the line, and the fire behavior became extreme, cutting off all members of the strike team from their safety zone int he black behind them. A brief lull in fire behavior allowed them to run back to the previously burned area and avoid burn injuries or shelter deployment.