2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

 

MapsReportsWLF LinksMedia ArticlesMultimediaComments

 

Incident Name: Thirtymile Fire Date:  07/10/01, 1724 hrsPersonnel: 4 Lives Lost (see below)Age:  VariesAgency/Organization:  US Forest Service Position: Varies

Summary:Thomas Lee Craven, 30- Firefighter/Wildland Full TimeDevin Andrew Weaver, 21-Firefighter/Wildland Part TimeJessica Lynn Johnson, 19- Firefighter/Wildland Part TimeKaren Lee FitzPatrick, 18- Firefighter/Wildland Part Time

The Thirtymile Fire began when a picnic cooking fire was abandoned and spread to thesurrounding forest. The fire was located in the Chewuch River Canyon, about 30 miles north ofWinthrop, Washington. The Northwest Regulars #6, a 21-person Type 2 crew from theOkanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, was dispatched to the fire in the early morning hours ofJuly 10, 2001. The crew arrived at the fire at approximately 9:00 a.m. After a safety briefing, thecrew went to work at 11:00 a.m. The crews worked until approximately 3:00 p.m. when theystopped to eat, rest, and sharpen their tools. About 4:00 p.m., they responded to a request forhelp from another crew in the area; two of the three squads were sent to assist.

1 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

The fire began to develop quickly, and the decision was made to leave the area. The road tosafety was cut off by fire progress. The incident commander selected a site near the river thatwas rocky and had less vegetation than other areas in the canyon. Although several firefighterscongregated above the road to monitor the fire, they were not prepared for the suddenness withwhich it arrived. Six firefighters, including the four that died, deployed their fire shelters abovethe road. After the fire passed, it was learned that Squad Boss Craven and FirefightersFitzpatrick, Johnson, and Weaver had been killed. The cause of death for all four firefighterswas asphyxia due to inhalation of superheated products of combustion. Their fellowcrewmembers and two civilians survived.

 

The Forest Service conducted a detailed assessment of the incident. The major findings of thereport were:

- The combination of weather and fuel conditions created extraordinary circumstances forfire growth on July 10th. - Potential fire behavior was consistently underestimated throughout the incident. - In spite of the readily available water, relatively little water was applied to the fire duringthe initial attack phase. This was largely due to operational problems with pumps and hoses, aswell as delays in availability of a Type III helicopter. - The fatalities and injuries all occurred during fire shelter deployment. Failure to adequatelyanticipate the severity and timing of the burnover, and failure to utilize the best location andproper deployment techniques contributed to the fatalities and injuries. - Leadership, management, and command and control were all ineffective due to a varietyof factors, such as the lack of communications and miscommunications, fatigue, lack ofsituational awareness, indecisiveness, and confusion about who was in control.

2 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

- Two civilians were involved in the entrapment due to a failure to properly close apotentially hazardous area. - All 10 Standard Fire Orders were violated or disregarded at some time during the courseof the incident. - Ten of the eighteen Watch Out Situations were present or disregarded at some timeduring the course of the incident. - Records indicated that personnel on the Thirtymile Fire had very little sleep prior to theirassignments, and mental fatigue affected vigilance and decision-making. - District fire management personnel did not assume incident command when the size andcomplexity of the fire exceeded the capacity of the Northwest Regulars #6. - The Northwest Regulars #6 crew commander served both as incident commander andcrew boss. Command roles on the Thirtymile Fire were unclear and confusing to those incommand of the incident, to the rest of the crew, and to others associated with the fire.

Maps

Accident Site (approximate) {mosmap lat='48.800642'| lon='-120.043289'|text='Entrapmentlocation for the Thirtymile Fire'}

Return to top

3 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned

- Preliminary Findings from the US Forest Service: 24 HR Report (99K pdf) - Expanded Briefing From USFS: 72 HR Report (26K pdf) - Thirtymile Fire Incident Information: Website - National Situation Report: July 12, 2001 (35K pdf) - News Release: Investigation / Review Board's Recommendations (11K pdf) - Safety Bulletin 9/29/01: Discussion Points (11K pdf) - USFS Accident Investigation: Final Report (9.3 MB pdf) - Thirtymile Fire Investigation Report: Errata (87K pdf) - Thirtymile Accident Prevention Action Plan: From USFS (107K pdf) - USFS Accident Review Board: Management Evaluation Repor t (627K pdf) - OSHA Regional News Release: OSHA Archives - OSHA Citations and related documents:

- Hazard Abatement Plan Dated 03/26/02 unavailble (pdf) Enclosures below - Enclosure No. 1: Key Messages - Fire Season 2002 (19K pdf) - Enclosure No. 2: March 15, 2002 memo from Jerry Williams , Director F&AM (31K pdf) - Enclosure No. 3: Draft memo from Deputy Chief , State & Public Forestry (34K pdf) - Enclosure No. 4: January 11, 2002 memo from Dale Bosworth , Chief (38K pdf) - Enclosure No. 5: Briefing on Entrapment Avoidance Training (27K pdf) - Enclosure No. 6: Incident Response Pocket Guide (9K pdf) - Enclosure No. 7: Cover memo to Standards for Fire and Aviation Operations 2002 (90Kpdf) - Enclosure No. 8: March 22, 2002 memo from Harv Forsgren , Regional Forester (44Kpdf) - Enclosure No. 9: Excerpts from FSH 5109.17 (37K pdf) - Enclosure No. 10: February 25, 2002 Talking Points, Jerry Williams , Director F&AM (50Kpdf) - OSHA: OSHA Citations to the Forest Service

- 107th Congress, HR 3971- Passed June 24, 2002: Hastings-Cantwell Bill (27K pdf) - New Generation Fire Shelter: From NWCG (1.5 MB pdf) - Introduction of Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2005: From Colorado Firecamp - Senate Testimony on Oversight of the Thirty Mile Fire Accident Investigation: HearingSummary(23K pdf) - United States of America V. Ellreese N Daniels: Criminal Complaint (1.9K pdf)

4 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

- Letter regarding witness interviews and testimony: Office of General Counsel (193K pdf)

- Final Letter from Tom Harbour: Message From the Director (42K pdf) - Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program: Staff Ride - Missoula Technology Development Center: Lessons from the Thirtymile Fire (5 MB ppt) - Lessons From the Thritymile Fire: Instructors Guide (96K pdf) - Crew Cohesion: From MTDC (296K pdf) - South Canyon Fire: Ten Year Review of the Effectiveness of Planned Actions (199 Kpdf). Includes parallels to Cramer and 30-mile. - Survey Conducted by the IAWF on the Effects of Criminal Charges for the Thirtymile Fire Summary(23K) | Detailed Results(115K) | Remarks(202K) pdf files - Final Report in Parts: Cover/Executive Summary | Summary | Overview of the Incident| Findings - Appendices: Investigation Team | Fire Behavior | Weather | Human Factors Analysis |

Questions and Answers - HISTORICAL: FS Wildland Fire Safety on 30-mile Wayback Machine 2003-2009, 28captures of the page with links - Martin Alexander & Miguel Cruz, 2011: What are the Safety Implications of Crown Fires?

- From the Lessons Learned Center: Two More Chains, Spring 2014: The Lunch Spot

Return to top

Wildlandfire.com Links:

- Letter in response to the Thirtymile Administrative Investigation, and Articles from The

5 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

Yakima Herald: from Bill Kampen - Hindsight Bias and Conflicting Witness Statements in the 30 Mile Tragedy: From MiseryWhip(16K pdf) - 30 Mile Criminal Prosecution, an Agency Slippery Slope: From Rod Altig (10K pdf) - White Paper on the Issues Surrounding the Thirtymile Indictment: From Ken Snell (26Kpdf) - Compilation of Research posted on They Said It 2006-2008: Free Ellreese - Thirtymile Fire: Photo Page - WLF Hotlist Thread: Thirtymile trial set for May - WLF Hotlist Thread: Lawyers, Smoke and Money: Ellreese's Case - WLF Hotlist Thread: Ellreese Daniels case settled; no felony counts, no jail time - WLF Hotlist Thread: Tom Harbour's Reply to the Thirtymile Plea Agreement - WLF Hotlist Thread: Sleep Deprivation and Sleep Research

Return to top

Media Articles and Reports.

- Washington Fire Traps 23, Kills 4: From The LA Times - Surviving firefighters remember Thirty Mile fire, Originally From The Oregonian: Link to Online Article - Solemn services for Thirtymile Fire victims draw hundreds: From The SeattlePost-Intelligencer - Four did their job, and died too young: From From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Victim of Wildfire Honored at Service: From The LA Times - Last of Four Firefighters Mourned: From KOMO News - Memorial honors those dead in Thirty Mile fire: From The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal - Report: Rules ignored in fatal fire: From The Missoulian - OSHA faults Forest Service for Thirty Mile fire deaths: From The Seattle Times - Cantwell Reintroduces Wildland Firefighter Safety Legislation: Press Release - Thirty Mile crew boss charged in 4 fire deaths: From The Seattle Times

6 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

- Judge delays decision on jury visit to Thirtymile site, pushes back trial: From TheWenatchee World - Work release for crew boss in fatal Wash. fire: From MSNBC - Dismissal of parents' lawsuit marks end of Thirtymile Fire litigation: From The SeattleTimes - 30 Mile Fire Fatality Case Study , LLC YouTube, Published Aug 9, 2012, 20 min.

Haunting scene at firefighters’ last standDifference of a few yards determined who survived inferno From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Link to Online Article By MIKE LEWIS, MARGARET TAUS AND SCOTT SUNDE- SEATTLEPOST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS

Friday, July 13, 2001

ANDREWS CREEK TRAILHEAD -- Red flags mark the spots where the desperate firefightersmade a last stand against an inferno that swirled around them. Death was capricious.

The firefighters were split into three groups along Chewuch Road. Some deployed theiremergency fire shelters on a sand bar in the adjacent Chewuch Creek, another group on theroad itself and the third in the boulders across the road, opposite the creek.

Only the four firefighters in the car-sized boulders died. Paint outlined spots on the rocks wherethe four didn't get back up after the fire roared through early Tuesday evening. Investigators,who yesterday were picking through the charred road as crews continued to fight several fires,said all three sites were good deployment areas.

"When you go down the road you are unlikely to find a better place than this" to make a stand,said Jim Furnish, the deputy chief of the U.S. Forest Service who is heading a teaminvestigating the deaths. Investigators yesterday for the first time allowed reporters into the areawhere the firefighters perished. Signs of the firefighters' attempts to escape were still visible.Their crumpled fire shelters littered the ground, with half-ax and half-shovel Pulaskis, meltedcanteens and burned backpacks.

7 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

The fire raged so hot that the aluminum from the camper shell of a nearby burned-out Dodgetruck remained frozen in melted puddles adjacent to the road where firefighters deployed theshelters -- one-man pup tents made of aluminum and fiberglass fabric. The truck belonged totwo backpackers rescued by firefighter Rebecca Welch, who shared her fire shelter with them.Welch, too, survived.

An unattended campfire may have started the deadly blaze. Ron Pugh, a Forest Service specialagent, appealed to the public to help find the careless campers believed responsible. He saidthey walked away from their campfire, leaving "a tragedy waiting to happen." They could becharged with felonies or misdemeanors, depending on what authorities discover. Theabandoned campsite had been roped off like a crime scene. Investigators collected unidentifiedbits of evidence and took tire tread imprints. The fire could have been started as early as July 7,they said.

The fight continues

As the inqiury into the nation's worst forest firefighting tragedy since 1994 got under way inearnest, hundreds of young men and women from across the nation struggled against fires thathave burned 11,500 acres north and south of the tiny resort town of Winthrop. They faced tryingto contain fires feeding on a country left parchment dry by the worst extended drought since1977 and further stoked by scorching summer weather.

More than 20 miles north of Winthrop, part of a crew of 500 firefighters was dispatched to theThirtymile Fire, which has grown to 8,200 acres. Crews had been pulled off the lines in that fireTuesday after it killed the four firefighters and injured six others.

"My hope is that by (today) sometime, we will be making good progress," incident commanderJoe Stutler said. "We're going to hammer it." Late yesterday, the fire remained mostly calm, onlyspotting up in three places along the south break. Otherwise, it burned predictably. Worrisomeevening winds didn't materialize although firefighters feared lightning strikes overnight.

A U.S. Forest Service aircraft was scheduled to make a nighttime flight with infrared sensors to

8 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

outline the hottest spots. As long as the fire continued to burn north, it wasn't too much of aconcern except for a few small rustic cabins. Stutler said crews received a bit of help from the1994 Thunder Mountain blaze, which burned a wide swath along what is now the ThirtymileFire's southern and eastern edges, creating an effective fire break.

"This area," he said pointing to the region of the old blaze, "is essentially nuked." Firefighters,he said, will cut lines with maximum safety in mind. Stutler, a former smoke jumper, said it'simportant for fire managers to be patient with the blaze, not risking too much as long at it burnsaway from populated areas. The steep Chewuch Canyon at the Thirtymile Fire's heart is "someof the toughest area I've seen to fight a fire."

Twenty miles southwest of Winthrop, more than 600 firefighters were at work at the Libby SouthFire, which had consumed 3,300 acres. That blaze, which may have been sparked by a statefiretruck, is expected to be contained tomorrow night. That will be good news to the owners of50 homes that could be in the fire's path.

Up to 500 firefighters from as far away as Alaska and Florida and new aircraft are expected toarrive today at Eight Mile Ranch fire camp, bringing the totals to approximately 1,000firefighters, 10 helicopters and one airplane.

The U.S. Forest Service is working with the local sheriff to find any remaining backpackers andcampers in the Okanogan National Forest and the adjacent Pasayten Wilderness. Yesterdayhelicopter crews flew trails in the region, looking for stranded backpackers and dropping leafletswarning of the fire danger. The Pasayten Wilderness, one of the largest wilderness areas in thecountry at more than 530,000 acres, potentially poses a firefighting quandary for crews:Bulldozers and certain heavy equipment isn't allowed in wilderness areas. Stutler said he didn'tanticipate any problems.

His main concern, he said, was safety of the crews. That was also the concern in the LibbySouth Fire. That blaze threatened about 50 homes. Helicopters dropped water on the blazeyesterday and it was reported 50 percent contained. A spokesman with the state NaturalResources Department said one of the department's fire trucks may have started the fire.Trucks were in the area recently to clear a road for fire access.

9 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

One of the homes in danger belongs to Jennifer Allen-Tate. Yesterday, she stopped briefly ather house on Smith Canyon Road, an area that was closed to non-residents. "I'm looking atsmoke right now," she said. She and her husband, Ross, temporarily moved their Web-designbusiness about four miles away to her parents' home to protect their computer equipment andbusiness records.

Their home purchase also is on hold. They've been living in the house since the end of June,but they can't close the deal until a company agrees to insure it, which won't happen until thefire is out, she said. She comes to the house several times a day to water it down. Judi Olsenfled her home Monday when she was told to leave and could see a wall of fire. "I just panicked.I'd never seen anything like that. It was fierce," Olsen said.

'To our fallen comrades'

Beyond the immediate concerns of fire and homes and weather were the four firefighters killed.Firefighters couldn't help but think of Tom Craven, 30, Karen Fitzpatrick, 18, Devin Weaver, 21,and Jessica Johnson, 19. Even if they didn't know their names, they knew enough.

Investigators have interviewed survivors of the deadly firestorm. Seventeen firefighters lived, asdid two campers caught in the roaring blaze. Furnish would not offer details of the investigation.Crews recovered the four bodies late Wednesday on the floor of the canyon. All had soughtprotection under the special emergency shelters. They died in a narrow canyon with nearlyvertical walls.

The firestorm had not only victims but also a hero. Rebecca Welch, a 22-year-old firefighter,shared her one-person shelter with the campers, Bruce and Paula Hagemeyer, as the flamesrolled over them. Welch's "unbelievable heroism" saved the Hagemeyers, Furnish said. Thefirefighter suffered second-degree burns.

Officials said 13 firefighters deployed their shelters, including the four dead and four injured.Someone put a small vase of roses and bluebells inside the ranger's office for the MethowValley. "To our fallen comrades," someone had written on a card. "We are grieved by thedeaths of these four young people," said Furnish. "We do not want this to happen again."

10 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Return to top

Photos, Videos, & Tributes

- Thirtymile Fire Memorial Service: Brochure (621K pdf) - Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forest: Thirtymile Fire Memorial - Washington State History: Thirtymile Fire - From The Seattle Times: Tom Craven | Devin Weaver | Jessica Johnson | KarenFitzPatrick

- Tom Craven: Family man loved the outdoors and fighting fires- The Seattle Times - Jessica Johnson: Fighting fires helped 'wild girl' develop confidence, find self- TheSeattle Times - Devin Weaver: 21-year-old was generous with family, always willing to lend helping hand- The Seattle Times - Karen FitzPatrick: Recent grad loved to cook, bake, sew, and help others- The SeattleTimes - Yakima dad reflects on firefighter son killed in '01 Thirtymile: From CBS News - Tribute to Karen FitzPatrick - Book Released About Yakima Woman Killed in "Thirty Mile Fire": From KNDO News

11 / 12

2001 07/10 WA Thirtymile

 

- Methow Valley Wildland Firefighter Memorial, dedicated Nov 27, 2007: Brochure frontpage (690 K pdf) - Online Article: Firefighting Memorial Dedication is Nov. 27 in Winthrop - Methow Valley Memorial located in Mac Lloyd Park in Winthrop, WA . - USFA Memorial Database: Thomas Lee Craven | Devin Andrew Weaver | JessicaLynn Johnson| Karen L FitzPatrick - US Forest Service Heroes Memorial: Tom L Craven | Devin A Weaver | Jessica LJohnson | Karen Lee FitzPatrick (Scroll to 2001.) Return to top Contributors to this article: J Benshoof, Mellie, Tom Leuschen, Wildland FirefighterFoundation, Old Fire Guy, Misery Whip, Ron Altig, Ken Snell, John Miller, Rene Vanderhooft,Sammie and so many others.  

Please support the Wildland Firefighter Foundation  

12 / 12