Arizona: Six Wildland Firefighters Hurt During Fire Shelter Deployment On Cedar Fire #AzFire

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Arizona: Six Wildland Firefighters Hurt During Fire Shelter Deployment On Cedar Fire #AzFire

6 firefighters hurt while battling Cedar Fire

"There was a sudden and unexpected change in the fire"

The Cedar Fire is 75% contained as of Tuesday evening. (Source: KPHO/KTVK)

SHOW LOW, AZ (KPHO/KTVK) - Six firefighters were transported to the hospital after deploying their fire shelters while battling the Cedar Fire near Show Low on Tuesday.
There was a sudden and unexpected change in the fire, according to Candy Lupe with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Fire Management.

A group of fire crews had to deploy their fire shelters. Once the danger passed, they were able to walk out and get medical help, Lupe said.

The six firefighters were treated for non-life threatening injuries. They were treated at Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center in Show Low and were released.

Fire shelters are small tents the firefighters carry with them and crawl under if they are overtaken by flames.

The incident brings back memories of the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013, where Granite Mountain Hotshots deployed their fire shelters. In that case, the fire was too intense for the fire crews and 19 firefighters died. The third anniversary of the tragedy is coming up on June 30.

As for the Cedar Fire, the wildfire has burned 45,977 acres since it started on June 15. It is 75 percent contained as of Tuesday evening. Firefighters hope to have full containment by early July.

Source: http://www.kmov.com/story/32330977/6-firefighters-hurt-while-battling-cedar-fire

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

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Tuesday, June 28, 2016