The fire line Jorgensen and his crewmates must create varies from fire to fire, from terrain to terrain. So we'll just dig a scratch line - maybe 17 inches or so. It's just enough to make sure the fire isn't going to have any fuel to touch. Then we'll take the sagebrush away in about a three-foot radius. If you have grasses and roots from trees, you have to get down and chop the roots out.
Fire is really weird - it can creep through anything.
Jorgensen said crew bosses have a well-honed knowledge of where they can safely place their firefighters. Our bosses have been there and know what it's like, and they're not going to put us someplace in danger. Which isn't to say that some nervous moments don't arise. Jorgensen recalled working on a fire near Prineville, digging line just over a ridge from the flames. The fire flew toward the top of the ridge, and embers began flying all the way to other side of the draw in which the Hotshots were working.