Wolf Creek Prescribed Fire Burn Injury 2023

On February 7, the Unaka Ranger District conducted the Wolf Creek Prescribed Fire (Rx). The Rx area was a 51-acre wildlife opening that had a mechanically “mowed line” around the perimeter, which transitioned into light flashy fuels toward the interior.During ignitions, a FFT2 was working uphill as two fire lines came together. Although FFT2 was adjacent to the fireline, the light flashy fuels ignited quickly and caught the FFT2 in between these two sections of increasing fire behavior. As crew members called for them to “Get out of there!” FFT2 inhaled hot gasses. FFT2 recalls: “It felt like breathing heat.”