Wagon Box Fire Burn Injuries 1999

On July 22, 1999, the Heber Interagency Hotshot Crew was assigned to the Wagon Box Fire. They planned to cut a wide fireline between the road and the creek to attempt to burn out this area back toward a spot fire. As they began to work, the spot fire flared up and began to make a major run on the south side of the road, directly toward four crew members. The crew members immediately noticed this change in fire behavior and used their escape route, which was through a recently burned area to the north on the other side of the road. While using the escape route, three of the four crew members sustained burn injuries to their hands from radiant heat. In all, five crew members from the Heber IHC received burn injuries at three different times and locations. The crew superintendent removed the crew from the fireline after the final burn injuries were sustained to allow crew members to receive medical treatment.

Entrapment, Hand Crews, Extended Attack, Fire Behavior, Burn Injury, Entrapment