South Canyon Fire

Common card · No. 484846

The South Canyon Fire was a 1994 wildfire that killed 14 wildland firefighters on Storm King Mountain, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on July 6, 1994. Often referred to as the Storm King fire, the fire was started by a dry lightning storm on July 2, sending several wildland firefighting crews to engage the fire. Smokejumpers, interagency hotshot crews, and helitack crews were dispatched to engage the fire from multiple bases. On July 6, a cold front reached the area, increasing wind speed and creating a surge in fire activity. A major spot fire developed and entrapped 9 hotshots, 3 smokejumpers, and 2 helitack crewmembers, leading to their deaths. The fire grew to 2,115 acres before being contained and controlled July 11. After the fire was contained, an official investigation was launched to identify critical failure points and prevent a similar disaster. The investigation found that both dispatch centers and incident leadership failed to communicate fire weather and behavior accordingly...

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