Spur Fire Stump Hole Incident 2012

On Monday, October 29, 2012 at approximately 1100, a CAL FIRE inmate staffed hand crew responded to a reported vegetation fire on the Stanislaus National Forest with a private land origin. The crew arrived on scene at 1105. After discussion with the IC, they anchored to a dirt road, and began constructing direct hand line. During line construction, an inmate firefighter disoriented by the smoke, fell into a stump hole formed from a previous fire. The Fire Crew Captain with the help of another Crewmember dragged the incapacitated firefighter through the flame front into the black. The Captain received a superficial 1st degree burn from radiant heat to the left side of his face during the process of moving the firefighter. Medical personnel evaluated The Captain and firefighter on scene. A California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officer transported the firefighter to John C. Fremont Medical Center in Mariposa where he was assessed and released to Sierra Conservation Center. The Captain remained on scene until a relief captain arrived and driven to John C. Fremont Medical Center, for evaluation. The next morning the Captain visited a burn center for evaluation of the radiant heat burn (per agency protocol), and released that afternoon.