LODDs- Cramer wildfire, Salmon-Challis National Forest, Idaho

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Rest in peace brothers!

(Salmon, Idaho-AP) -- Authorities have identified the two
firefighters killed in the Cramer fire near Salmon Tuesday night as
23-year-old Jeff Allen of Salmon and 22-year-old Shane Heath of the
Treasure Valley area.
Both were veteran firefighters. Allen became a seasonal
firefighter in 1999, and had been a member of the Indianola
Helitack Crew since 2000.
Heath, a Boise State University student, was in his second year
as an Indianola Helitack Crew member, and had been a wildland
firefighter for four years.
The men were overrun by flames after rappelling to the ground to
clear a helicopter landing zone in the rugged backcountry of
central Idaho's Salmon-Challis National Forest.
U-S Forest Service spokeswoman Erin O'Connor said authorities
are investigating the deaths.
Helitack crews travel by helicopter to provide initial attack
response to wildland fires. They deal with the most remote, steep,
and smoky environments.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The two helitack firefighters who died while
battling a blaze in the Salmon-Challis national forest probably
died very quickly, the Lemhi County coroner said Thursday.
Jeff Allen, 24, of Salmon and Shane Heath, 22, of Melba, were
killed in the Cramer fire Tuesday night about 17 miles west of
Shoup. After rappelling from a helicopter, the two were preparing a
landing zone when the blaze exploded around them.
"They got caught in a fireball," Coroner Mike Mitchell said.
"It was very quick."
The remains of both men have been released to their families,
Mitchell said.
The deaths of the two firefighters drew sympathy from the Bush
Administration, Idaho's congressional delegation and Gov. Dirk
Kempthorne, who ordered state flags flown at half-staff on
Thursday.
"We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy," U.S. Department
of Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman said in a prepared
statement.
Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo said Allen and Heath died as heroes.
"These men are heroes of battle, just as the men and women
fighting overseas, and they fought a faceless, terrifying enemy
with bravery, heroism, and selfless dedication to the families and
communities of central Idaho," Crapo said.
Allen began working as a seasonal firefighter in 1999, when he
joined the Indianola Helitack Crew. He was a business student at
Boise State University.
Heath, also a Boise State student, was in his second year as an
Indianola Helitack Crew member and had been a wildland firefighter
for four years.
A national fire team was sent Wednesday to take command of the
fire, which had blown across more than 5,400 acres by Thursday
morning. It was not threatening any structures.
After taking Wednesday off to regroup, the 170 firefighters
already fighting the fire resumed operations Thursday. More than
300 reinforcements are expected to begin arriving in the next few
days, said fire information officer Jennifer Rabuck.
Meanwhile, other fires continued to burn.
Crews returned to the Hot Creek blaze on Thursday after they
driven away from the fire line Wednesday by extremely heavy smoke.
The blaze spread across 15,360 acres and was burning 40 miles
northeast of Boise.
Fire information officer Cyd Weiland said more than 400
firefighters would concentrate on building an east-west line on the
south end of the fire.
The fire was burning about three miles from Atlanta, but the
historic mining town was not considered to be in danger, Weiland
said. Still, the Elmore County Sheriff's Office decided Thursday
afternoon that no additional visitors or residents would be allowed
into the Atlanta area for now.
Some of Thursday's weather conditions were working in
firefighters' favor.
Temperatures in southwestern Idaho were expected to be 10
degrees cooler and relative humidity was rising from bone-dry
levels earlier in the week. However, the possibility of
thunderstorms presented a higher potential for lightning strikes,
Weiland said.
It was not known when the fire would be contained and roads to
the area remained closed Thursday.
In north-central Idaho, the Slims fire burning 35 miles east of
Grangeville continued to grow, reaching 1,400 acres by Thursday
evening. More than 250 firefighters were attempting to burn behind
the fire to create a fire line. But three helicopters assigned to
the blaze were unable to fly Thursday afternoon because an
inversion was causing poor visibility.
In central Idaho, 157 firefighters were working to contain the
Crystal Creek fire, burning on about 1,000 acres. That fire also
continued to spread.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Investigation of fire deaths shows fire shelters unused

(Boise-AP) -- The two firefighters who died battling the Cramer
fire last week did not use their portable fire shelters.
Investigative Team Leader Linda Donoghue released the
preliminary investigative report this afternoon.
According to the report, 24-year-old Jeff Allen of Salmon and
22-year-old Shane Heath of Melba both rappelled onto a ridgeline
above the fire last Tuesday morning.
They intended to clear an area for a helicopter to land. When
the area became too smoky, they called for a helicopter to pick
them up, but the pilot couldn't land because of poor visibility.
Searchers found their bodies later that day. Neither man was in
a fire shelter. Those are small fire-resistant tents designed to
protect firefighters if they can't escape the flames.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)