Initial Attack Engine Burn Damage 2018

On June 27, 2018 a vehicle rollover on Highway 130 ignited a wildfire approximately 30 miles North of Cedar City, Utah. At approximately 1330 hours, Engine 4601 was dispatched to the fire and arrived on scene at 1400. The Engine Boss determined to suppress the fire using mobile attack, anchoring off of the highway. Suppressing the fire was successful for the first 50 feet. But during this mobile attack the engine hit a rock, temporally high-centering the vehicle. At the same time, it was also noticed that the oil pan was damaged. As this backing fire approached the rear of the stuck engine it was noted that the engine was out of water. The VFDs therefore suppressed the fire near the engine. An Engine Protection Line (EPL) was deployed to extinguish any fire threat near the vicinity of the engine. After the fire threat was mitigated, it was determined that even though the engine was losing oil, it was still operable. The engine attempted to retreat the 50 feet back to the highway—before the engine lost all of its oil.

At approximately 1415, the engine crew along with several volunteer fire departments (VFDs) now on scene tried to pull and winch the truck back onto the highway. However, due to its size and mechanical issues with the winch, the vehicle remained stuck on the incline. The VFDs continued to spray the stuck engine. While the engine didn’t catch on fire, it did receive significant heat that caused scorching and the plastic trim to melt.

Initial Attack, Engines, LCES, RLS, Entrapment, Vehicle Burn Damage