-
Location:
California -
Date:
08/25/1944 -
Incident Type:
Entrapment -
Description:
Richard McFarland 15 years old when he suffered fatal burns on the Gaviota Fire in Santa Barbara County on August 25, 1944. He died the next day. Because of a workforce shortage caused by World War II, Santa Barbara High School athletes were allowed to obtain seasonal jobs with the county forestry department. However, the participants were required to be at least 16 years old. How McFarland got the job is unknown. The Gaviota Fire burned on both sides of Highway 1010 just north of Gaviota Beach, totaling 800 acres.
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.