Inaja Fire Entrapment Fatalities 1956

The Inaja Fire was started on the morning of November 24, 1956, by a child playing with matches in rural San Diego County, Calfiornia. By 1700 that day the fire had burned under Stana Ana wind conditions to 25,000 acres. Later that evening a fire crew was assigned to construct indirect handline into the San Diego River canyon, from the rim to the dry riverbed. A piece of dozer line above the canyon was fired out before line construction commenced into the canyon itself. During line construction, a spot fire was observed about 1000 feet below the crew.The crew ceased work and began to hike uphill out of the canyon, when more spot fires were observed below the crew. The wind shifted to blow the spot fires upslope at the retreating crew. A group of 11 crewmembers were unable to outrun the fire uphill in the steep canyon topography and perished. 

Those lost on the Inaja Fire were: Albert Anderson, Miles Daniels, William Fallin, George Garcia, Virgil Hamilton, Carlton Lingo, Forrest Maxwell, Joseph O'Hara, Lonnie Sheppard, Joe Tibbets, and Leroy Wehrung. 

Fatality, Entrapment, Indirect Line Construction, Firing, Hand Crews, Extended Attack, Entrapment