Harris Ridge Fire Fall Fatalities 1972

The crew was called from their job near Orofino and arrived at the base of the draw involved at about 1400 August 11, 1972. There they received instructions to move into an area on the west side of the draw and build fireline underneath the fire that was creeping down the hill to try to tie into other people, mostly local volunteers, building line down from the top. Crewmembers Russell Allen and Gregory Heathco began building line to the east separate from the rest of the crew, due to the cliffs and broken terrain in the area. The two constructed line until they tied in with other forces, then proceeded in constructing line towards a draw until fire behavior caused them to abandon the effort. While returning to the rest of the crew, one or both of them tripped and fell, possibly dislodging a snag in the process. Alternatively, the snag falling may have caused the men to fall. Both men were either dead or unconscious when the fire moved through the area.