Today marks the 28th anniversary of the entrapment and death of 14 firefighters on the South Canyon Fire who were overrun by the fire on Storm King Mountain near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Those firefighters were Kathi Beck, Tamera Bickett, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Robert Browning, Doug Dunbar, Terri Hagen, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Jon Kelso, Don Mackey, Roger Roth, Jim Thrash, and Richard Tyler.
Barry Stevenson of Outside Adventure Media produced the short video below that looks at an often overlooked part of the event — the eight smokejumpers further uphill who took refuge in their fire shelters for two hours as the fire burned around them.
If you have not seen it already, be sure and watch the excellent lessons learned video about the South Canyon Fire titled Everyone Goes Home. It includes numerous interviews of wildland firefighters who were involved with, or were on scene during the entrapment and deaths of the 14 firefighters.
For more information about the South Canyon Fire visit southcanyonfire.com.
I was at Jim Thrash’s funeral at a cemetery up on a beautiful hill top in New Meadows, Idaho. I was working for Silver Sage Girl Scout Council. Jim’s wife was one of my super-duper volunteers and was a Troop Leader and Service Unit Director in New Meadows. There was a very large crowd there that day…. and I think everyone cried. Jim was also a hunting fishing guide and at the time of his death, he was president of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association. Later, his wife, daughter, and son left their wonderful mountain home and moved into the Boise area.
I was just thinking about all this just a week or so ago. It is still so sad.
Dale Longnecker, NCSB, survived without deploying. In fact, many believe he wasn’t even carrying his shelter. Everyone who died on the left flank, died in a shelter or next to one. Mackey, MSO, was the nominal IC. Thrash was MYL. Just as Granite Mountain experienced years later, hunkering down in a fire shelter is not ideal. Thrash, just yards from the ridge line, pulled off and queried “shelters?”. Roth, MYL, and the others were behind, and pulled shelters. They all died. Hipke, NCSB, powered around them and lived. Blecha Prineville IHC, also powered on behind Hipke and died yards from the top. It hasn’t ever been established if he pulled his shelter.
RIP You made a difference in life and in your sacrifice!
My friend and colleague Quentin Rhoades was one of the survivors. His boss, Jim Thrash, was not. Quentin said Jim chose to try to lead the young Prineville Hotshots to safety over a ridge that looked like it offered the best chance for survival. The survivors took a tougher route.
I believe that Quentin was a Missoula jumper and worked with Don Mackey. Jim Thrash jumped out of McCall.