The Fire on Cedar 



501 



immediately : Saving any part of Cedar 

 Creek was out of the question with 

 running fire flanking it on both sides, 

 it was doomed. Its large volume of 

 dried-out slash would blow up during 

 the afternoon and scatter spot fires in- 

 to the cliffs and ravines at the head- 

 waters of the stream. They would have 

 to hold the fire on the two ridges, keep 

 it out of the heads of Fly and Ant 

 Creeks, and prevent it from crossing 

 either of the streams. 



The surest and fastest way to do that 

 would be to backfire the roads up Fly 

 Creek and Ant Creek to points from 

 which effective fire lines could be built 

 to the head of Cedar Creek. The back- 

 firing and construction of the lines 

 would have to be timed carefully to 

 avoid being flanked by either backfires 

 or by the main fire. 



From quick calculation of the prob- 

 able rate of spread of the fire, based on 

 study of the cover and topography as 

 shown in the aerial pictures and the 

 reported wind and humidity, it seemed 

 logical to the three men that lines 

 could be constructed up side ridges 

 from the two creeks in time to be suc- 

 cessful. The ridge to be used from Fly 

 Creek was designated Trail Ridge ; the 

 one from Ant Creek on the east was 

 designated Swamp Flat Ridge. Trac- 

 tors could be used on both ridges, but 

 the ridge at the head of Cedar Creek 

 would have to be handled by men 

 working along the edge of the main 

 fire after it had quieted, putting out all 

 hot stuff found. That would be hard to 

 do: Spot fires beyond this edge would 

 have to be picked up later as they 

 showed up. The country was too rough 

 for any other sort of action. The west 

 side of the fire would move slowly 

 against the wind, mostly a problem of 

 putting under control such fire spread- 

 ers as rolling logs and pine cones. The 

 probability of spread with the wind 

 into Ant Creek made that sector a dan- 

 gerous one. First attention must focus 

 there. 



Thus the possibilities were quickly 

 determined more quickly than they 

 can be explained and Loitved an- 



nounced, "Chief, I'm off to see this 

 thing from the air. I'll phone you from 

 Red River." 



The supervisor calculated the re- 

 quirements of the job ahead. If held on 

 the lines initially planned, the fire 

 would have a probable ultimate perim- 

 eter of 8 miles, excluding the river 

 front facing the Snag Flat fire, which 

 required no work except holding at 

 both ends. Of the 8 miles, 3/ 2 miles 

 would be backfired road up the two 

 creeks. The photographs showed that 

 there should be about a mile and a half 

 of bulldozer line in easy country, taking 

 off from these roads along Trail Ridge 

 and Swamp Flat Ridge, then a mile of 

 bulldozer line in tough country, a mile 

 of hand-work burn-out line, and a mile 

 of control of hot spots at the head of 

 Cedar Creek along an otherwise dor- 

 mant line. There also would be an im- 

 portant spot-fire control job, ahead of 

 the main fire edge, at the head of 

 Cedar Creek and beyond. 



To allow a margin of safety, he as- 

 sumed that the patrolmen would fail 

 to hold the up-and-down spread along 

 Red River, and that closing those gaps 

 would be the first job for the road, log- 

 ging, and tanker crews, which had 

 been ordered and part of which should 

 be arriving shortly. 



His calculations were interrupted by 

 a call from the regional dispatcher: 

 The hot-shot crew would arrive about 

 8 p. m., equipped with back-pack fire- 

 fighting outfits ; he was warned that the 

 situation throughout the region was 

 tough and that he would have to use 

 local resources to the limit. No further 

 quick help could be expected. 



The supervisor proceeded with his 

 planning, knowing the rate of produc- 

 tion of safe fire line that could be ex- 

 pected from machines and men. The 

 bulldozers, tankers, and flame-throw- 

 ers that were en route apparently 

 would be enough; their power, skill- 

 fully applied, equals the effort of many 

 men and does some things a man can- 

 not do. Men would be needed, how- 

 ever, to hold the ground gained by the 

 machines and to go into places that 



