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Stand 3a - Tool Drop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

300-500 yards back to the northeast from Stand 3, on this slight bench on the upper third of the slope, people can notice how fire was likely to have behaved as well as how difficult it is to negotiate this top part of the ridge, where there are rockslides and where several outcroppings block escape.

At this point the fire was about 100 yards behind the crew, and seemed to be getting ahead of them both above and below on the slope. Flames are estimated to have been spreading at just less than 100 yards per minute. The men seemed to have finally become nervous about their situation. Rumsey recalled Dodge saying something about "getting out of this firetrap".

At this location, about 5:53 PM, Dodge ordered the men to drop their gear. Whether or not they all heard their foreman, they did not all respond. As the timber thinned, the fuels became flashier, and the winds pushed the fire to spread even faster, up to an estimated 600 feet per minute.

Location near tool drop looking upslope from rock slide area. Notice footing and steepness of slope encountered during crew’s retreat.

Location near tool drop looking upslope from rock slide area. Notice footing and steepness of slope encountered during crew’s retreat.

Investigators find dropped tools following the Mann Gulch Fire

Investigators find dropped tools following the Mann Gulch Fire

 
Location (SRS)
POINT (-111.9002167 46.88495)
Related Stand
Staff Ride to the Mann Gulch Fire

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