CA Report: Critically Burned FFs Likely Trapped by Spot Fire

Two California firefighters who were critically burned in October setting backfires during the Silverado Fire should not have been in the area because of the dangerous, an investigation determined.

Orange County Fire Authority wildland firefighters Dylan Van Iwaarden, 26, and Phi Le, 31, remain in critical condition with second and third-degree burns after they were injured battling the Silverado Fire on Oct. 26. That wildfire had ignited near Irvine, destroying or damaging 14 structures and forced the evacuation of 130,000 people.

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”These were explosive fire conditions—the classic what we call ‘blowup conditions’— and the crews were really, really pushing the envelope” by trying to set backfires, Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology who reviewed the fire authority's report for The Associated Press.

According to a report, wind-driven embers from the backfires apparently spread and trapped the firefighters. Increased, erratic winds, frequent spot fires and unburned fuel created a dangerous situation for the firefighters, the report stated.

“Their burnout may have backfired,” Ingalsbee told the AP. “That’s a horrible thought.”

Right before the firefighters were injured, the crew—using hand tools, chain saws and fire hoses—was tackling a spot fire that went from the size of an area rug to 10,000-square-feet in less than 10 seconds. That's when a second fire erupted.

“Get out of there, there’s a spot!” one of the crew members yell, the report stated.

The firefighters weren't able to deploy fire shelters and were overrun by the flames. Six firefighters had singed hair, two were critically burned, with one firefighter “staggering out of the fire.

Photos included with the report shows their turnout gear torn and singed. Some of the gear also was badly burned and discolored.

“Human flesh burns well before the ignition point of that fabric, so just from the radiant heat, the convective heat of the hot winds, those crews were cooking well before the flames even reached their clothing,” Ingalsbee told the AP. “I think it’s a minor miracle they were able to stumble out to safety and are alive.”

An Orange County Fire Authority spokeswoman declined to comment about the report, according to the AP.