LON SLEPICKA
Firehouse.com News
A wildland firefighter died Saturday, Nov. 10, while fighting a fire in
rugged, steep terrain of the Upper Cumberland Region of Tennessee.
Harold Strode, 46, a seasoned firefighter and full-time employee of the state,
was killed while working with a team of six on a fireline in the heavily
wooded area. A firestorm in the dense, burning area overtook the crew. Five
of the firefighters were able to cross the fireline to safety in the burned
out area.
According to Tom Womack, a spokesman from the Tennessee Dept. of
Agriculture, the fire started Friday and burned about 50 acres before
firefighters brought it under control. The fire flared up again Saturday and
crews moved back in.
Womack said the crew had access to fire shelters but were not carrying them
on their person at the time. It took nearly six hours to remove the
survivors and Strode’s body from the remote area, he said.
The area in the northeast portion of middle Tennessee is said to be 100
percent contained today but not completely out. It has burned about 2500
acres with no structure losses. Three state teams with bulldozers and two
twenty man crews fought the fire on Monday.
Tennessee, along with several states along the eastern seaboard are
experiencing serious wildland fire situations because of drought this fall.
Strode, a three-year employee of the Tennessee Department Agriculture,
Division of Forestry leaves his wife Vickie and two sons 24 and 17. Funeral
services were held Tuesday in Celina, TN.
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