Rattlesnake Fire - Events

Events

The arsonist started two fires, one on private land and the other along Alder Springs Road inside the forest boundary. He was later convicted and sentenced on two counts of arson. The first fire was quickly suppressed by the Forest Service. The second fire continued burning toward Grindstone Canyon. The fire was spotted and reported mid-afternoon; by evening, it was considered under control. At about 9 pm, the wind caused a spot fire north of the road from a burning brand. The plan to bulldoze lines above this fire were not completed as the terrain was too steep for the equipment. Then the wind died down and the spot fire became inactive. With the new weather conditions, a firebreak line was successfully built directly around the inactive spot fire. The wind came up again and changed direction, which started several spot fires west of the crew. All but one of these new fires were extinguished by the water tanker trucks. The men then rested, had dinner, and were in an area out of sight of the fire front, unaware that a flareup was occurring until too late.