Logging Slash Fire Fuel Tank Ignition 2009

At approximately 1857 hours on July 9, 2009, while supporting a water pumping operation, a member of the Idaho City Interagency Hotshot Crew was burned while working on the Logging Slash Fire in interior Alaska. The IHC crewmember was assigned the operation of a Mark 3 pump to support a water pumping function utilizing a folda­tank and Mark 3 pump. During a routine check of the fuel supply, when the crew member opened the Jerry can (fuel tank), flammable liquid and vapors spewed from the container and were ignited. The resulting flash fire burned the crew member. 

A designated medevac helicopter from an adjacent fire was dispatched while medical personnel on scene began treatment of the injured crew member and prepared him for transport. The injured crew member was rapidly transported to a Fairbanks hospital and after an evaluation by physicians, was transferred to a Seattle burn center. The crew member was moved from the Intensive Care Unit to the regular burn ward where his condition continued to improve.

Fuel Geyser, Burn Injury