Rabbit Creek 1994

Eight fires were started by lightning on the Boise National Forest on July 28, 1994. These were managed together as the Idaho City Complex and at the time of the entrapment incident were under the command of an IMT1. The Rabbit Creek Fire was one of these fires. During day shift August 28, resources on Division BB were holding a road that had be fired the night before. This work involved suppressing spot fires in the green. By afternoon, fire behavior on the spots was increasing, and crews were pulling back. A dozer operator was trapped by advancing fire on one spot and was evacuated by helicopter. At 1600, an engine on the division became entrapped and pretreated the fuels surrounding them with foam and preparing for a shelter deployment. They opened their shelter cases and stood with the shelters covering them, preparing to lie down, when the fire front changed trajectory and then concluded they could now safely drive out. They successfully drove out of the area, using an opened fire shelter as a heat shield over the driver's side windows.