Santa Clara County Fire Entrapment Fatality 1916

Carl Stagen, a ranch hand working on one of the ranches near California's Santa Clara-San Mateo County border, was entrapped and killed while suppressing a fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the vicinity of Page Mill Road. This fire had started at 1400 hours on September 10. With the work of more than 100 volunteers from the surrounding area, the fire was mostly contained by 2130 hours that evening. The had fire reportedly started from an escaped bonfire.

Stagen was assigned by his employer to hold a stretch of road to prevent the fire crossing it and threatening a summer home owned by the mayor of San Francisco. Pushed by wind, the fire ran down slope. Stagen attempted to swat the flames out when he was overcome and perished. This man had been a sailor aboard a German ship which was detained in the harbor when World War I began.  

Entrapment, Fatality, Burn Injury, Hand Crews, Initial Attack