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10 & 18 Series - Inaja Fire

10 & 18 Series - Inaja Fire


The following is a continuation of a multi-post documentation. Click here to begin from Part 1

Location
Cleveland National Forest, California 

Origin of Fire 

       On November 24th, 1956 at approximately 9:10 AM, 16-year-old Gilbert Paipa threw a match into the grass beside his home. During his confession to a Forest Service investigator, Gilbert claimed his actions originated from "[...] a mad, crazy idea to do it. I threw a match in the grass to see if it would burn" (Colorado Firecamp). 

Events

       Two lookouts spotted the fire at 9:15 AM and initial units arrived at 9:25 AM. High winds made all early attempts fail to control the fire. On the following day, November 25th, at 7:00 PM, a night shift crew arrived composed of 13 inmates. The crew bosses of the inmates led the crew to the point where the day crew had stopped, giving instructions to continue. While the inmates worked, one crew boss headed back up the canyon rim to complete a task that was assigned by the sector boss. 
       On his way up, a vantage point allowed the boss to observe that the main fire had unexpectedly flared up on a side ridge at a nearby point below the men. However, the fire made a quick transition to the main ridge where the men were cutting line. This threatening behavior caused the boss to call out a warning to the men below, urging them to escape. 
      The warning was received at about 7:45 PM, and immediately after the call the men stopped working and started back up the canyon at a normal pace. Survivors do not recall any major panic at that moment. 
      Suddenly, the fire below gathered substantial momentum. This was at about 7:47 PM, two minutes after the initial warning. The crew boss above witnessed the growth and became tremendously concerned, as the fire was now a real threat to the men's lives. He shouted at them to hurry up, causing the men to drop their tools and increase their pace. 
      While members who were stationed near/on the upper part of the line had an advantage for escape, 11 members were not as fortunate. Based on the accounts of surrounding witnesses, the fire experienced a "flash-over" which engulfed 11 victims (A "flash-over" is when a fire, because of the ignition of gases, rapidly expands).
      The exact time of complete fire containment is unknown, however public records indicate the operation ended on November 28th. The fire destroyed a total of 43, 611 acres.

Conclusion
    
       The contributing factors of the disaster included:
(a) The absence of detailed/necessary information on fire status 
(b) The night overheads had not seen the surrounding terrain in daylight
(c) The lack of communication between bosses across the canyon (who held a variety of vantage points)


Sources

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