*(Taken from Vol. 77, No. 4 on July 10, 1953-The Willows Journal)*

15 Die Fighting Mendocino Forest Blaze

'A Story of Death'

Journal Reporter Saw Flames Sweeping Toward Doomed Men

By CHARLES J. GLEESON

This story of the death of 15 men started last night at what appeared to
be a routine assignment. "Ten Four," the story would have said, "ten
four" being radio code for "Okay," "That's fine," "everything's going
well." At 7 p.m. the phone rang. It was Supervisor Leon Thomas of the
Mendocino National Forest. "We've got a fire," he said, "first one of
the season. Though you might like to see it." Thomas briefed me as we
rode along. There had been two suspicious fires yesterday. The first,
along the hull road in the Chrome district, had started at 12:20
o'clock. Thomas, who had been attending a meeting in Upper Lake, had
heard about it on the radio. But two hours later a second blaze broke
out , also along the road and in the same general area. "We think we've
it homed in on three sides," the supervisor dais, as he turned on the
radio.

**It Looked Good**

Charles Lafferty of Stonyford was talking from the fire scene. "Ten
Four," he said, as he got the wind information: 15 miles an hour and
from the southeast. "Let'er blow. Just what we want." And things did
look favorable as Thomas' car swung up the Alder Springs road. You
could, in some places, rush out and grab a burning bush. Fire fighters
were stationed along the highway watching for spot blazes which might
jump the line. Others, equipped with railroad fuses, were setting
backfires. Given any kind of a break, it seemed, and the blaze would be
under control within an hour or two. About 12 pieces of equipment were
on Powder House Point, together with a crew that included not only
federal and state foresters but also logger employed by Glenco Forest
Products, which had turned men and equipment over to Jack Ewing, fire
boss, to help fight the battle.

Several times loads of logs drove up. These were driven by employees of
the Speckert and Dover Lumber Companies who apparently had decided the
fire was none of the business. It was still light, and a bulldozer crew
was silhouetted atop one ridge about a mile away. Flames were burning on
three sides, but the to road was the fire line. As darkness fell the
blaze took its full beauty in a dozen shades of rose, red and orange,
crawling, reaching out long fingers to catch the tops of digger pines,
boiling up in pools that changed colors with each new puff of wind.
Black areas suddenly too on light that turned into acres of jewels. As
these burned out they took on the appearance of a city dazzling with
golden lights. It was in this sort of setting the 15 men died. "We
should have'er licked pretty soon," said Lafferty over the radiophone.
"Ten four." But it was far from "ten four."

**Ready to Eat**

About 10 o'clock the wind had died down. The New Mission Tribes group
was sitting down to its meal of sandwiches and milk and the few spot
blazes which had jumped the road were being controlled quickly. It's
hard to tell in words the story of a forest fire; the clanking of the
bulldozers, the dust and sparks high in the air, trucks rushing
everywhere, fire within a few feet of you, and yet a feeling of safety.
That's the way it was last night about 10 o'clock. Suddenly there was a
puff of wind, but not from the southeast, as it had been blowing all
evening, but from the north. Supervisor Thomas, who had appeared
confident, now began to get worried. Sparks jumped the road and set fire
to brush at the head of the gulch. "I think we can get it there," said
Thomas, but as he was speaking, the wind was picking up speed. In less
than five minutes, everyone knew what was going to happen.

**Blaze Exploded**

"Ever hear a fire explode?" asked Thomas. "Well, watch this one." A crew
which had been sent to put out the gulch fire was called back. A call
went in for the bulldozer and the equipment on the point was scattered
to cut down the danger should sparks set fire to a gasoline tank. "I've
seen this kind of wind change in Southern California" said Thomas, "but
never up here." Things were happening so fast no one though immediately
of the group sent to put out a fire in a gully down the canyon. "My
God!" said Thomas, "What has happened to them?" Lafferty ran along the
road to shout a warning. There was no thought now of the fire; everyone
was concerned only with the fate of those 24 men. Someone finally saw
lights along the ridgetop, and there was a general movement in that
direction. The nine survivors were coming down the road. Where were the
other? "They took off along the ridge contour," said one. " I hope they
made it." There was no chance now of controlling the fire immediately,
and everyone tried to convince himself the others had reached safety.
But by now the entire canyon was sparkling in the night winds, as you
looked down from your secure spot along the point where you knew nothing
would live more than a few moments in that inferno. The search started
in that period halfway between darkness and dawn. At 4:45 o'clock, a
shout announced the finding of the first body. The first searching group
went just below the spot where the others lay, and where they were found
sprawled about 5:20 o'clock. One of the searchers was a survivors, Homer
Hitchcock. He and the other survivors stood by to help identify the
remains.

# Bodies Visible

Some of the bodies could be seen easily from the road about 300 yards
across the canyon. But if you didn't have glasses, you might have taken
them for small clumps of dark green brush surrounded by gray ashes. Here
and there were a few untouched bushes, or a still green digger pine.
Here, you felt, was utter desolation in the presence of death. Nothing,
you said to yourself, was still alive here. And yet on the morning air
came a requiem: The harsh domain from a treetop, and the soft sweet song
of a lowly whippoorwill.