Higgins Ridge Fire Smokejumper Entrapment 1961

On August 4, 1961, two loads of smokejumpers, totalling 20 jumpers, became entrapped on the Higgins Ridge Fire but were successfully evacuated by helicopter. The initial group of 8 Missoula smokejumpers temporarily based in Grangeville, Idaho jumped the 2-acre Higgins Ridge Fire on the Nez Perce National Forest, 30 miles west of Hamilton, Montana. Though initially appearing small and benign, the fire escaped the control. An additional 12 smokejumpers from the base in Missoula, Montana jumped the fire at this time as reinforcements for the initial 8. The group of 20 split into two groups -- 15 on one side of the ridge, and 5 on the other -- to attempt to line the entirety of the fire. The fire suddenly increased in intensity and began making runs up the ridge through tree crowns. The larger group retreated through an actively burning area and into a helispot that had previously burned (and was still burning in the down timber) and lay down to protect their airways. The smaller group initially attempted to hook around below the fire to outrun it, but decided to locate the best area to ride out the fire -- a rock scree. Newly developed flame resistant shirts had been issued to the Missoula smokejumpers and the vast majority of the jumpers wore these, though flame resistant pants were not yet available. As the entrapment persisted, the Ranger at Moose Creek, Idaho, a backcountry Ranger Station, reconned the fire by helicopter (Bell 47). Not seeing the smokejumpers, the pilot and Ranger refueled and then returned to search more for the jumpers, locating them in the still-burning helispot. The helicopter pilot and Ranger landed in the burning helispot to begin retrieving smokejumpers. The pilot returned several times, putting jumpers both inside and on cargo baskets attached to the skids. Eventually all smokejumpers were rescued or successfully rode out the fire run on the rocks, with only minor injuries.