Jenkins Mountain Fire Entrapment Fatalities 1954

Four of the six crewmembers perished during initial attack of the Jenkins Mountain Fire in Carter County, Tennessee. The crew was firing out their handline at 1230 on February 27, 1954, when a wind shift caused the main fire to crown and make a run toward them. Four of the crew were fatally burned in a ravine as they attempted to escape, while a fifth, about 50 yards away, suffered burn injuries on his head and leg. The state hand crew was made up of young men, none over 19 years old. One, Bobby Simerly, was 15 years old.

Those lost on the Jenkins Mountain Fire were: Herman Carden, Kenneth Pierce, Bobby Simerly, and Jerry Woods. 

Entrapment, Fatality, Initial Attack, Hand Crews, Burn Injury