The Hemlock Fire

Wildfire in the hills above San Bernardino California.

Remembering Helicopter Pilot Floyd Hiser who died while working this fire.

A little different shooting style on this one, dictated by my chosen position. Mostly air drops and fire activity from a distance, not much else.

I hiked into the hills on one flank of the fire to be able to see the head. It was me, the fire, and the aircraft. I left as the fire burned toward me and I heard about a helicopter down over the scanner, all the aircraft had stopped flying.

Floyd Hiser was flying a Bell "Long Ranger" 206 L-1, making bucket drops, when it experienced an interuption of fuel to the engine, due to a faulty fuel system, it went down and hit a canyon wall. Other pilots had reported that this aircrafts engine would stop even though the gauge showed 150 pounds of fuel still remaining. Bell helicopter attempted to lay blame on Hiser by suggesting that he continued to fly without enough remaining fuel, this despite the fact that rescue personnel reported the strong smell and presence of fuel at the crash site, Hiser had over 13,000 hours of flight experience.

Floyds helicopter flew by me several times, but since it wasnt "doing anything" - not working that area of the fire - I didnt shoot it.

Let that be a lesson to you grasshoppers. Always shoot everything!!! You never know when the thing that was right in front of you will in the next few hours, days, months, become something of importance that should have been documented, and you missed photographing it and making that historical record.

The Hemlock Fire-Copyright Larry R. Erickson
July 6, 1997

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Wildfires
• pilot
• Floyd
• Hiser
• firefighting
• spot
• news
• Hemlock
• Fire
• San
• Bernardino

[hillberg100]

Floyd was a good man, Had dinner with him a week before the accident. Be safe out there.

[SkyhawkACE123]

Awesome Footage!

[likecycle]

yeah it sure is, they call it a fire whirl. sweeet

[bab777734]

thanks! that was awesome video

[1nm1]

Is that twisting flame of fire starting at 1:40 a fire tornado?

[agm423]

greate video