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The summer of 2000
was a long fire season throughout the country. Throughout much of
the wast, fires were burning with rapid rates of spread and extreme
fire behavior. In Wyoming, the Kate's Basin Fire was raging
across 33,000 acres. A crew of men from Oklahoma and Arkansas
were assigned to that fire. On August 11, 2000, engines from
Oklahoma were tending to that specific fire southwest of Thermopolis,
Wyoming.
Jim Burnett, foreman of an Oklahoma Engine,
and Presley Byington were scouting along the grader lines when they
realized they could not hold the line. Winds were picking up and
they needed to retreat back to safety. When the oncoming fire cut
off their escape raout, Burnett started the pump on the engine, but it
only ran for a few seconds, due to lack of oxygen from the fire.
He was then separated from the truck as he tried to escape to a safe
area on foot. The onrushing fire prevented Byington from getting
out of the truck, but he was able to protect himself by deploying his
fire shelter inside the truck and covering up with it.
Recognizing that Byington and Burnett might be
in trouble, the Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department responded
withtheir hose deployed. After finding the engine on fire, they
suppressed the fire and rescued Byington from the cab.
Before Burnett could reach safety he was
overrun by the fire and killed.
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