News

Memorial Monday – The Loop Fire (CA)

Incident Date: November 1, 1966
Department: El Cariso Hotshots (CA)
Number of Line-of-Duty Deaths: 12

The Loop Fire started after 5:00 am on November 1, 1966, from a faulty electrical line at the U.S. Army’s Los Pinetos Nike Missile Site in the Angeles National Forest. The fire rapidly spread from the mountain top to the urban areas, being pushed by the 60 mile an hour Santa Ana winds. While operating at the wildfire, the El Cariso Hotshots were trapped by flames as they worked in the Pacoima Canyon, the Santa Ana winds changed direction, trapping them in a sudden blow-up of fire. Ten members of the crew perished in the Loop Fire that day. Another two members succumbed from burn injuries in the following days. Most of the nineteen members who survived were critically burned and remained hospitalized for some time. As a result of this fire, the Downhill Indirect Checklist was created, to improve firefighting equipment and fire behavior training.

Firefighters Who Died AS a Result of the Wildfire:

Kenneth Barnhill

Raymond Chee

Frederick Danner

 

John Figlo

Joel Hill

Daniel Moore

 

James Moreland

Carl Shilcutt

John Verdugo

 

William Waller

Michael White

Steven White

 

Related:

More About Memorial Monday

Memorial Monday is established to remember the sacrifice of firefighters who died in the line of duty before the National Memorial was created in 1981. On the last Monday of every month, a firefighter, or groups of firefighters, will be remembered through information located about the firefighter and their sacrifice.