On November 1, 1966, the El Cariso Hot Shots, a USDA Forest Service interregional wildland firefighting crew working on the Loop Fire, were trapped by flames in a steep chimney canyon while constructing fireline downhill and were within 200 feet of completing their assignment when a sudden shift of winds caused a spot fire directly below them. Within seconds, flames raced uphill and engulfed the firefighters in temperatures estimated to reach 2500 degree F, and the fire flashed through the 2,200-foot chimney canyon in less than one minute as the crew attempted to reach safety zones. Ten members of the elite crew died that day, and two more later succumbed to injuries, while most survivors were critically burned and remained hospitalized for some time. In the last 30 years, lessons learned from the Loop Fire tragedy have been shared with firefighters around the world, saving many lives.
