Released

The crew was demobed this afternoon after completing their last 34 hour shift in extremely steep/rocky hot terrain.  Two Hotshots did suffer heat exhaustion on 7/ 26 and are at home recovering.  The crew is still available for assignment. The current fire acreage is 14,100 acres.

CA-MVU-Eagle Fire

The crew was called back to work from their days off. They were assigned to the Eagle Fire is near Warner Springs, CA and which is burning towards Borrego Springs, CA. The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain and only accessible by ground resources (crews) and air resources. The crew was assigned to Division (C)harlie, east of Eagles Nest & San Ignacio. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. The fire made a few big runs today and has grown to 9000+ acres.
The crew will "coyote" out in Division (C)harlie with Vista Grande Hotshots tonight and tie into Division (D)elta in the morning.

Still Home

Fire activity has slowed a bit but with the current heat wave, we could see activity pick up soon.  The crew is currently training and working on projects.

Our Deepest Sympathies and Condolences to the Bonneville Hotshots and their families.

Yesterday we lost one of our own in the Hotshot community while fighting a fire in Texas.  Thoughts and prayers go out to our Brothers and Sisters with the Bonneville Hotshots and to the Hamm family for their loss...

BLM Firefighter Dies While Working on Texas Blaze

An Idaho firefighter died while battling a wild fire in north central Texas Thursday afternoon, possibly a victim of the extreme heat that has gripped the region in the last few weeks, officials said.

Caleb Hamm, 24, died as he was working with a firefighting crew on the 337 Fire near Mineral Wells, according to the Texas Forest Service.

Officials said Hamm, of Boise, Idaho, collapsed while he was working on the fire line. He died while he was being rushed to a nearby hospital.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of his death, but initial indications are the extreme heat in the region was a primary factor, officials said.

Temperatures climbed to triple digits in the area Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Officials said the 337 Fire has blackened 932 acres and is 75 percent contained.

Hamm was a member of the Bureau of Land Management's Bonneville Interagency Hotshot crew, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had been a seasonal firefighter for six years. This was his first assignment as member of a hotshot crew.

"Our entire organization deeply mourns the death of one of our own, Caleb Hamm," said Robert V. Abbey, BLM's national director. "His passing gives us pause to consider what truly matters in life. We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family, friends and members of his crew."

Since fire season began Nov. 15 in the state, firefighters have responded to 14,069 fires that have burned more than 3.2 million acres.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7644875.html#ixzz1RY2HrCVb

Thoughts and Prayers go out to the Valyermo Hotshots

9 firefighters injured in crew carrier crash

Nine U. S. Forest Service firefighters were injured when their crew carrier crashed in southern California Monday night. Nathan Judy, a USFS public information officer, said seven were taken to area hospitals, treated, then released. Two had to be extricated from the truck and were flown to USC University Hospital in Los Angeles. Judy said they were being held for observation with injuries that were not life-threatening.

According to NBC in Los Angeles the accident happened at about 9:30 p.m. PT as the crew was returning from working on a brush clearance project in the Littlerock area of the Antelope Valley near Palmdale.

The Associated Press reported that authorities said the driver of the crew carrier swerved to avoid hitting a dog and lost control. The truck rolled over a 15-foot an embankment, landing on its side.

 

Happy 4th of July!