Ship Island Fire Entrapment 1979

The Ship Island Fire was ignited by lightning on July 17, 1979, in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, on the Salmon National Forest, Idaho. The fire was initially unstaffed. On June 21, approximately 30 firefighters were inserted by aircraft to contain lateral fire spread. More crews were inserted and on July 25 a crew from the Targhee National Forest, overseen by Kyle Pattee, was split in two locations on the fire. Pattee remained at a helispot to oversee crew operations. On July 26, Pattee and a line scout were both located at the helispot when a spot fire became established below them and made a run to their location. The men piled crew gear in the center of the helispot and then deployed their fire shelters. The line scout found he had to move his fire shelter several times to move away from the heat of the burning gear. Kyle Pattee, without gloves to help hold the hot fire shelter material, was unable to escape the intense heat of the gear fire and lost his life. 

Fatality, Fire Shelter Deployment, Extended Attack, Burn Injury, Entrapment