South Canyon Fire
Encyclopedia
The South Canyon Fire was a 1994 wildfire
that took the lives of 14 wildland firefighters on Storm King Mountain
, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado
on July 6th, 1994. It is often also referred to as the "Storm King" fire.
It was the subject of John Maclean
's book Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire
.
The following day twenty Hotshots
from Prineville, Oregon were rushed to the fire to aid in the battle. That afternoon a dry cold front passed through the area, increasing the winds and fire activity. By 4:00pm the fire had "spotted" beyond the fireline and below the firefighter's location to the west and began to race up the steep, densely vegetated terrain towards them. 12 firefighters were unable to outrun the blaze and perished. Two more helitack firefighters were also killed as they tried to flee to the northwest.
Those who died:
Prineville Hotshots: Kathi Beck, Tamera Bickett, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Douglas Dunbar, Terri Hagen, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Jon Kelso.
Missoula Smokejumper: Don Mackey
McCall Smokejumpers: Roger Roth, Jim Thrash.
Helitack: Robert Browning, Jr., Richard Tyler.
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
that took the lives of 14 wildland firefighters on Storm King Mountain
Storm King Mountain (Colorado)
Storm King Mountain is a mountain in the White River National Forest of the Rocky Mountains, northwest of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in northeastern Garfield County. It is on the north side of the Colorado River and Interstate 70 , between Glenwood Springs and New Castle.It is the site of the...
, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
The City of Glenwood Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 8,564 in 2005...
on July 6th, 1994. It is often also referred to as the "Storm King" fire.
It was the subject of John Maclean
John Norman Maclean
John N. Maclean is an author and journalist best known for his 1999 book, Fire on the Mountain, about the deadly South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain , in 1994. Maclean, a former Washington correspondent for The Chicago Tribune, has written three books about wildfire. The books are non-fiction,...
's book Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire
Fire on the Mountain (1999 book)
Fire on the Mountain is a 1999 non-fiction book by John Norman Maclean that describes the most famous wildland fire of the late 20th century. The book describes the events and aftermath of the South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain on July 6, 1994 in Colorado, which took the lives of 14...
.
Fire Origin
On July 2, 1994 lightning sparked a fire near the base of Storm King Mountain, 7 miles (11.3 km) west of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Initially small and well away from private property, the fire was assigned low priority and allowed to smolder for the first two days. By July 4th, the fire had burned only 3 acres (12,140.6 m²). Nearby residents of Canyon Creek Estates, however, were growing increasingly concerned by the persistent blaze, prompting local authorities to take action. Due to the ruggedness of the terrain, and the efforts necessary to coordinate the incident response, it was decided that the fight against the fire would commence the following morning.Attempts to Battle the Blaze
On July 5th firefighters began their approach from the west at the east end of Canyon Creek Estates, making a difficult march up the rugged terrain along what is the present location of the Storm King Mountain Memorial Trail. Firefighters began constructing firelines to contain the blaze. The fight was joined that evening by smokejumpers who began aiding in the construction of the fireline, working well on into the night of July 5 but quitting early due to "danger from rolling rocks".The following day twenty Hotshots
Hotshot crew
In the United States, an interagency hotshot crew , or simply hotshot crew, is a Type 1 handcrew of 20 firefighters specially trained in wildfire suppression tactics...
from Prineville, Oregon were rushed to the fire to aid in the battle. That afternoon a dry cold front passed through the area, increasing the winds and fire activity. By 4:00pm the fire had "spotted" beyond the fireline and below the firefighter's location to the west and began to race up the steep, densely vegetated terrain towards them. 12 firefighters were unable to outrun the blaze and perished. Two more helitack firefighters were also killed as they tried to flee to the northwest.
Memorials
The Storm King Mountain Memorial Trail, closely following the actual path the firefighters hiked to fight the blaze, leads visitors to the site. Plaques and memorials line the trail explaining the events and paying homage to those who fell. Memorials have also been constructed at Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs, and at Ochoco Creek Park in Prineville, Oregon.Those who died:
Prineville Hotshots: Kathi Beck, Tamera Bickett, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Douglas Dunbar, Terri Hagen, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Jon Kelso.
Missoula Smokejumper: Don Mackey
McCall Smokejumpers: Roger Roth, Jim Thrash.
Helitack: Robert Browning, Jr., Richard Tyler.