Six wildfire hotshots working a low-intensity fire suddenly found themselves in a whirl of flame and debris Tuesday, forcing them to deploy their emergency fire shelters and trapping them for 15 minutes, according to an investigative report the Bureau of Indian Affairs released Sunday.
The six, who have not yet been identified, remained in radio contact even as a small tornado of fire swirled around them. They were among the firefighters working to help put out the Cedar Fire near Show Low. All six were members of the Navajo Interagency Hotshot Crew, based at Fort Defiance, Ariz., on the Navajo Reservation.
Once the whirl died down, the hotshots walked out on their own with only minor injuries, according to the report the Interagency Serious Accident Investigation team issued.
“Fire whirls are fairly rare and cause a high-risk situation for firefighters,” Robin Broyles, public information officer for the investigative team, said. This one formed quickly, Broyles said.