San Luis Obispo Ranger Unit Fire Entrapment Fatality 1959

Leo Boyd, a foreman for the San Luis Obispo Ranger Unit of California Department of Forestry (now CAL FIRE) was critically burned when his engine stalled in dry grass on a wildland fire near Paso Robles. When Boyd jumped from the back of the stalled vehicle, his clothes caught fire as the fire reached the engine. Fire-resistant clothing was not yet available to firefighting agencies; cotton clothing was worn by wildland firefighters. A fellow firefighter, Tom Kennelly, jumped from the open back of the engine and was able to put out Boyd's burning clothes and arrange for his transportation to the hospital. Boyd was admitted to Paso Robles hospital with second and third-degree burns over 75 percent of his body. Two days later, Boyd died of his injuries. 

Entrapment, Fatality, Burn Injury, Engine