Milepost 324 Fire Entrapment Close Call 1949

On July 30, 1949, a major thunderstorm ignited about 80 fires on the Plumas National Forest in California. Likely one of these fires was the Milepost 324 Fire, which may have been in the vicinity of Portola. Fire researcher and author of the Common Denominators of Fire Behavior on Tragedy Fires was fire boss of the Milepost 324 Fire at the time. Wilson was a fire leader in the US Forest Service. During a sudden wind-shift, Wilson had to make his way through the flaming front in grass and sagebrush and into the black to safety. This event is documented in Preliminary Report of Task Force on Fatal Wildland Fire Accidents.