Cramer Fire
Dedication

Lessons Learned

“Safety Zone” newsletter, July, 2004

Lessons Learned —
author, date unknown

One-Year Anniversary Letter by Kelly Close, FBAN

Declaration on Cramer Redactions, by James Furnish, April, 2005

FSEEE v. USFS, FOIA Civil Lawsuit Order,
December, 2005

FOIA Request to USFS, December, 2005

FOIA Appeal to USFS,
February, 2006

Management Evaluation Report

Investigation Team Information

Synopsis of the Cramer Fire Accident Investigation

Causal Factors

Contributing Factors

Addendum

Factual Report

Executive Summary

Narrative
   Background
   (facts 1 - 57)
   Preaccident
   (facts 58 - 201)
   Accident
   (fact 202)
   Postaccident
   (facts 203 - 237)

Findings

Appendix A
Resources on the Fire

Appendix B
Cramer Fire Timeline

Appendix C
Fire Behavior and Weather
   Prior Conditions
   Initial Phase
   Transition Phase
   Acceleration Phase
   Entrapment Phase

Appendix D
Equipment Found at H-2 and the Fatalities Site

Appendix E
Fire Policy, Directives, and Guides

Gallery of Cramer Fire Report Images

Accident Prevention Plan

OIG Investigation

OIG FOIA Response, February, 2005

2nd FOIA Request to OIG, April, 2006

2nd OIG FOIA Response, August, 2006, (1.4 mb, Adobe .pdf file)

OSHA Investigation

OSHA Cramer Fire Briefing Paper
 • Summary and ToC
 • Sections I-IV
 • Sections V-VII
 • Section VIII
 • Acronyms/Glossary

OSHA South Canyon Fire Briefing Paper

Letter to District Ranger, June 19, 2003

OSHA Investigation Guidelines

OSHA News Release

 • OSHA Citation 1
 • OSHA Citation 2
 • OSHA Citation 3

USFS Response

OSHA FOIA Letter

HFACS—"Swiss cheese" model of Accident Causation

Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word versions of documents related to the Cramer Fire can be downloaded from the U.S. Forest Service website.

Accident Investigation Factual Report

Cramer Fire Fatalities
North Fork Ranger District
Salmon-Challis National Forest
Region 4
Salmon, Idaho - July 22, 2003

Appendix C—Fire Behavior and Weather

Transition Phase:
July 22, (1015 to 1400)

At 1021, light smokes were observed just below the West Ridge in the Cache Bar drainage where the fire had crossed the ridgeline the day before. Between 1030 and 1100, the fire was becoming active below H-1.

At 1130, the first weather observations were taken on the fire near H-1 at 4,300 feet: 84 °F, 12-percent RH, winds from the east at 3 mph with gusts to 11 to 15 mph. There were some light smokes below the West Ridge above the Cache Bar drainage where the fire had slopped over the day before, but activity there was also minimal.

Fire activity began to increase by 1330 as conditions became warmer and drier. The fire reached Cramer Creek to the east, and was active along the east and northeast flanks. Fire spread there was low intensity and backing downhill with 1- to 2-foot flame lengths. Most of the more intense fire activity was just below H-1, with flame lengths from 4 to 6 feet, and increasing in intensity into the early afternoon. The fire started to heat up, roll out, and make short runs in the grass.

To the west, the fire had backed further into the Cache Bar drainage in 3- to 4-foot brush (shiny-leaf ceanothus, figure 22) below the West Ridge, seen as smokes and a low-intensity backing fire. As the fire backed through litter and grass underneath the brush, the foliage was dried.

Figure 22—Ceanothus foliage dried by a backing fire (Fountain Creek).

The following (table 3) shows temperatures recorded on July 22, 2003 from late morning through midafternoon. Observations shown are from the Indianola and Lodgepole RAWS stations, Long Tom Lookout, and the central Oregon regulars crew on the Cramer Fire, and are listed from higher to lower elevation at the observation site.

Table 3—Fire weather forecast comparisons at different elevations.

Time	Station / source	Elev.	Temp. (°F)	RH(%)	Winds (mph)	Notes
1130	Long Tom	8,168	78	24
	Lodgepole	6,100	90	12	3 to 5 E	Midpoint between 1100 and 1200 obs.
	Central OR	4,300	84	21	3 to 4 updrainage, S-SW
	Indianola	3,400	92	16	0 to 2 SE to SW	Midpoint between 1100 and 1200 obs.
1230	Long Tom	8,168	80	19
	Lodgepole	6,100	92	9	5 to 7	Midpoint between 1200 and 1300 obs.
	Central OR	4,300	98	18	2 to 3 updrainage, S-SE
	Indianola	3,400	96	14	1 to 2 SE to SW	Midpoint between 1200 and 1300 obs.
1330	Long Tom	8,168	83	19
	Lodgepole	6,100	91	10	7 to 9 W	Midpoint between 1300 and 1400 obs.
	Central OR	4,300	95	15	4 updrainage, S-SW
	Indianola	3,400	102	12	1 to 2 S-SE	Midpoint between 1300 and 1400 obs
1500	Long Tom	8,168	84	19
	Lodgepole	6,100	93	12	12 W
	Central OR	4,300	—	—	Gusts to 20–25 reported near H-1
	Indianola	3,400	105	10	2 to 5 ENE	Missing 1500 obs; used midpoint between 1400 and 1500 obs.

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