King Fire Entrapment CAL FIRE 2014

On September 15, 2014, a CAL FIRE Fire Captain B (FCB-1), with ten inmate fire crew members (CRW-1), and a CAL FIRE Heavy Equipment Dozer Operator (HFEO-1) were working in Division K (Div K) on the KING Incident in El Dorado County. Their assignment was to construct direct control line to contain a spot fire adjacent to a mid-slope road. At approximately 1245 hours, FCB-1 and HFEO-1 saw fire below the crew’s location, and determined to return upslope to the road. Upon reaching the road, fire behavior forced HFEO-1 to abandon the bulldozer and join FCB-1 and CRW-1at a deployment site. The personnel deployed their fire shelters. Air support was requested, accountability maintained, and their location was communicated. FCB-1 ordered CRW-1 and HFEO-1 to get up and run to the north to escape a crown fire approaching the deployment site. The personnel were evacuated by helicopter and transported to the helibase. All personnel involved were evaluated by paramedics and returned to the incident base later the same day. There were no serious injuries suffered from this incident.

Entrapment, Hand Crews, Heavy Equipment, Fire Shelter Deployment