Wildfire news, October 27

Remembering the crew of Engine 57

Last weekend our thoughts were for the crew of Engine 57 that died on the Esperanza fire two years ago on October 26, 2006.

From the IAWF Wildland Fire Events Calendar:

Five U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighters were entrapped and died on the Esperanza fire near Cabazon, California on October 26, 2006. Killed were engine Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser, 44, of Idyllwild; engine operator Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont; assistant engine operator Jason McKay, 27, of Phelan; and firefighter Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, of San Jacinto. A fifth firefighter Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley, who was injured along with the other four, passed away on October 31.

The five firefighters comprised the crew of a wildland engine, Engine 57, from the San Bernardino National Forest. They were assigned to a state managed fire approximately 60 miles east of Los Angeles and were entrapped while protecting a structure.

The final report is at the Lessons Learned Center.

The Press Enterprise has an article about the fire.

Nevada: Peterson fire

From RGJ.com:

Aerial attacks will resume and federal firefighters will arrive this morning to battle the 1,000-acre wildfire north of Cold Springs after it neared U.S. 395 Sunday night.

Four 20-member crews, one from the Tahoe Basin and three from the Nevada Division of Forestry, were to arrive at 8 a.m. to fight the Peterson Ridge Fire, which started about 1:30 p.m. in Crystal Canyon. No structures were threatened or injuries reported.

Firefighters stopped the blaze from reaching U.S. 395 just before 7 p.m. and held it on the west side of the freeway. Traffic was not affected, officials said.

About 150 firefighters were battling the fast-moving blaze fanned by 15 mph winds that grew from 5 acres to about 200 acres in about two hours, from a staging area at the California Department of Agriculture station near the state line.

SCBA, revolutionary new design

Firegeezer has the scoop on a revolutionary redesign of the air tank for a self-contained breathing apparatus. In the International Association of Firefighters' design being tested, the weight has been reduced from 30 pounds to 8, and it is only 1.5 inches thick.