Honda Canyon Fire Fatalities 1977

On December 21, 1977, the Honda Canyon Fire on Vandenberg Air Force Base resulted in four fatalities: Base Commander Colonel Joseph Turner; Fire Chief Billy Bell; Assistant Fire Chief Eugene Cooper; and Dozer Operator Clarence McCauley, who died two weeks later from his burns. The fire, started by a downed power pole during hurricane-force winds, trapped the first three men on Avery Road, while McCauley was overrun by the fire on Target Ridge Road.  

Initial Attack, Fire Shelter Deployment, Engines, Fatality, Heavy Equipment, Entrapment