Mustang Fire Near Miss 2012

On July 30, 2012, a group of 4 rappelers staffed a fire on the Salmon-Challis National Forest. At 1325 a single tree near the heel of the fire torched and dropped numerous spots outside the fire perimeter. Seconds later, an independent crown fire swept through the canopy within the burned area and cut off egress to the ridge. The 4 firefighters progressed their way down the ridge looking for viable egress routes through difficult terrain. At 1405 the fire spotted downslope of the main fire, and began making a run upslope and to the Northwest. Upon seeing the rapid change in fire behavior, the collective decision to drop packs and grab fire shelters, tools, and water was made. The four firefighters dropped of the backside of the ridge and identified an open rock scree with little to no vegetation downslope and to the north. With the assistance of a helicopter, they continued down to a trail and eventually to a safe landing zone where they were picked up.