On March 22, 2008, a pick-up truck ran into a gas well compressor station causing an explosion that ignited a wildfire just north of the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority office at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. Prior to the arrival of firefighters, the flame front on the Pantera Fire threatened the Lake Meredith Fire Cache and the administrative offices of the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority. More than 19 emergency personnel responded from the communities of Fritch, Sanford and Stinnett.
The incident commander, in collaboration with local fire agencies working under a unified command structure, quickly determined an indirect strategy would be the most effective, efficient and safest suppression approach. Instead of directly attacking the fire, which would have created risk to firefighters in the rough terrain, firefighters evaluated the fire situation and considered their ability to mitigate risks. Ultimately, interagency preplanning and established defensible space around the threatened facilities were major factors used to identify the response to the fire.
A burnout operation was conducted to secure the structures. The rest of the fire was contained by firing off of existing roads, trails and lake shore. Remaining pockets of fuel were then burned out. The fire was mopped up and secured the following day.
The Pantera Fire burned a total of 135 acres. The area was scheduled to be treated in the future with prescribed fire to meet established resource objectives. These objectives were considered when making the decision to burn out from the larger control features. The wildfire successfully met resource management and hazard fuel reduction objectives while being suppressed. In addition, costs were minimized using the indirect firing strategy, as it would have been more costly to go direct in the rough terrain.
The fire management staff attributes the successful response to local pre-planning, interagency coordination, the Rural Fire Assistance Program, and the Community Assistance Program.
Contact: Mike Bland, Fire Management Officer
Phone: (806) 865-3360 x26
*This story supports the National Fire Plan |
