Snow Hill Fire Entrapment 2023

Texas A&M Forest Service fire resources were requested to assist on the Snow Hill Fire in Texas around 1319 on August 2, 2023. Once on scene, crews engaged the fire utilizing tractor plows, engines, and aviation resources from multiple agencies. When two additional tractor plow units arrived from a nearby TAMFS office, the fire had spotted across Harrell Road at the heel of the fire, and they were tasked with containing that spot. While engaging the roughly 15-acre spot fire, one of those tractor plow crews stopped to swap operators in order to mitigate heat and fatigue for one of the swampers. During that swap, fire activity drastically increased and rapidly approached the crew, causing two swampers to escape down their line, both of whom received burns in the process. 

entrapment, burn injury, initial attack, heavy equipment, FLA