Experts probing wildfire incident

SALMON - Although rain has subdued the Cabin Creek Fire north of Salmon, experts are looking into why 20 firefighters had to flee rising flames and retreat to safety while battling the blaze Friday.

A 20-person crew from the Salmon-Challis National Forest was digging a line around the fire burning in timber and brush on a steep slope above the Indianola helitack station when the fire started to behave erratically. Supervisors directed the crew to an identified safety zone uphill. Some firefighters shed gear as they ran up the mountain.

An after-action review team, including fire experts from the Ashley National Forest in Utah and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in Montana, as well as a regional fire line safety officer from Atlanta, has been called in to look at what happened.

Salmon-Challis officials were blasted in three separate investigations for violating basic fire safety rules during last summer's deadly Cramer Fire that killed two firefighters.

But acting Forest Supervisor Renee Snyder said the review is not a reaction to the increased scrutiny after Cramer but simply a standard procedure to make sure firefighters and supervisors were following safety orders on Cabin Creek.

"Because of the reaction of the crew - some folks were upset - we wanted an objective review of what happened," Snyder said.

She said the crew had a variety of fire experience levels, including some members who were fighting their first real fire.

Fred Batley, a Forest Service dispatcher, said crew members told him that eight sets of fire line gear and a chain saw were burned after being discarded.

Snyder could not confirm the specific loss of property but said the actions would be consistent with good firefighting rules.

"In tough country, that's what your training teaches you - you drop packs and lose some weight so you can make better time," she said.

On Tuesday, the review team walked the area where the incident occurred. It is expected to reveal its preliminary recommendations to Salmon-Challis officials by Thursday.

In the meantime, Snyder said initial reports indicate fire line supervisors did their job. "We had some very highly experienced folks who were able to help keep the crew together and get them moving to the safety zone. Everybody came out safely at the end."