The upcoming fire season in Washington State marks 10 years since three U.S. Forest Service firefighters perished and four others were injured during an inter-agency wildfire initial attack in the Twisp River Valley.
It is fitting on Memorial Day to honor those who paid the ultimate price for their service to others. It is incumbent on the fire community to honor their memory by adopting a “learning organization” mindset, one that embraces respectful, open-dialogue debriefing and ongoing education.
During the afternoon of August 19, 2015, arching power lines sparked a brush fire in the valley that exploded in size, complexity and severity due to a wind event, severely challenged on-scene command and responding resources, and overran fire crews–all in less than two hours.
Engine 642 burnover area of the Twisp River Fire.
I recently walked the fire area in the Methow Valley region of West Central Washington to better understand the terrain, fuels and the fire’s scale. I studied the official investigation and news reports.
As a long-time wildland fire officer and college fire science educator, it was sobering to immerse myself in the facts of the incident, understand the personnel and their backgrounds, then stand on the hillside where they perished.
What would I have done differently?
Would I miss warnings of a wind event during the critical burn period and the signs of fuel, topography and weather “alignment”–or lose control of my resources in the swirl and confusion of an exploding initial attack. How would I manage radio interoperability between local, state and federal fire resources dispatched from three different agencies?
On that windy, grass-covered hillside above the Twisp River I closed my eyes. This was now my fire. I felt the pressure of command, with an avalanche of demands competing for attention. I relived the searing anxiety of near misses I experienced while leading fire crews and managing fires much like this.
I could see the incident unfold in my mind and felt the anguish of this fire’s tragic outcome.
I was recently invited to write new a wildfire “Initial Attack” course and present it at the 2025 Washington State Firefighters Conference in Wenatchee. Analysis of the Twisp River Fire was a central component of the program. In small groups, students were challenged to explore the incident, understand its complexity, and identify “Lessons Learned” within the context of initial attack in their response areas.
The crew of Engine 642, Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac, and Tom Zbyszewski paid the ultimate price at Twisp River. Crewman Daniel Lyon survived, but suffered burns over 70 percent of his body. Their sacrifice is remembered by studying incident histories such as Twisp River and weaving their lessons into our operations and organizational culture.
We owe a great debt to those who have gone before.
Crew of U.S. Forest Service engine 642.
By E A Wright
CEO, Targhee Fire
