Burning Ring of Fire

As we proceeded up the canyon, it was becoming quite evident that we were not going to reach our object doing what we were doing.  The weather was hot and we were starting to get some strong breezes. You learned in basic firefighting that fire travels uphill by day and downhill by night. With these winds, we could see that the fire was building in intensity.

The mushroom cloud was being stoked by the updraft of air and there was nothing we could do but watch it. Fire is an interesting phenomenon. It acts like it's alive and has broken free from its restraints. The genie in the bottle effect. It hops, skips, dances and spins wildly. It was fascinating to watch, but always deadly. We had all learned from our fire bible what fire could do. How it would kill you if you ever forgot or let your guard down.

We proceeded up the ridge, Everyone was starting to realize that we would not be able to reach the fire before nightfall. The foreman was beginning to become concerned. Remember, communications back then was primitive at best. There were no cell phones. They used these bulky WWII radio phones to try to contact the base camp. In mountainous terrain they seldom worked. If you didn't receive a new directive, you just continued on. We ended up spending the night in the middle of a burned out area. We were carrying C-rations and water so were survived the night there.

The next morning we were recalled to base camp. A new plan had been made. We would be helicoptered up to the fire. Helicoptered?  Most of us had never been in any aircraft, let alone a helicopter. This helicopter was one of those two man versions with a big glass bubble on the front and this erector set for a tail.

You were told to duck your head, so the whirling blade would not decapitate you.  When I got into the seat and strapped in, the pilot looked at me and said, "When I tell you to jump, you jump or we'll crash! Do you understand me?" I said, "Yes, sir!" 

As we took off, I watched the ground move away from me and saw the crew members waving. As we flew towards our destination, I looked out on the terrain below. It looked so different. Where we had been just a day ago quickly went by. The view from the cockpit was of billowing clouds of smoke. The pilot circled a small patch of ground that was the  drop zone.   I could now see some of the guys who had flown in a bit earlier. The pilot said, "Okay, unbuckle your seat belt. Step out and stand on the skid." I did as I was instructed. The helicopter came within about five feet of the ground. He shouted, "Jump!" I jumped  and hit the ground and rolled. I looked back to see the helicopter exiting at about a 45 degree angle.  I thought to myself, "That was cool, lets do it again."