1956 — Nov 25, Inaja wildland fire, firefighters trapped, Cleveland National Forest, CA– 11

–11 Nat. Fire Protection Assoc. “Other Large Loss Fires of 1956,” Quarterly, April 1957, p. 323.
–11 Schroeder and Taylor, USDA Forest Service. “Inaja Fire—1956…” 1968.

Narrative Information

National Fire Protection Association: “Nov. 24, San Diego County, Calif., Cleveland National Forest. $600,000; 11 killed.

“43,611 acres, 5 dwellings. Reportedly set by a 16-year-old boy, fire raced through the Cleveland National forest for 4 days before being controlled on November 28. On November 25, 11 firefighters were trapped in a canyon by the blaze and fatally burned.

“A total of 2,000 men, 3 helicopters, 4 air tanker planes, 2 scouting planes, 27 bulldozers and 90 stake, tank and pickup trucks were used in combating the blaze. Cost of fire suppression was $400,000.” (NFPA. “Other Large Loss Fires of 1956,” Quarterly, April 1957, p. 323.)

Schroeder and Taylor/USDA Forest Service: “Two wildfires burned in the same area of the Descanso Ranger District, Cleveland National Forest, in southern California under similar weather conditions. The fires occurred 11 years apart–the Inaja in 1956 and the Pine Hills in 1967… By far the more disastrous, the 4-day Inaja fire burned over 43,904 acres within the Cleveland National Forest and adjoining land protected by the California Division of Forestry. And it claimed the lives of 11 firefighters in a flareup during its second day. 1 The Pine Hills fire ·started to the northeast of where the Inaja fire had begun. It burned some of the same ground previously scorched, but
covered only 7,030 acres before being contained 2 days later.” (Schroeder and Taylor, USDA Forest Service. “Inaja Fire—1956…” 1968.)

Sources

National Fire Protection Association. “Other Large Loss Fires of 1956,” Quarterly, April 1957.

Schroeder, Mark J. and Bernadine B. Taylor, “Inaja Fire—1956, Pine Hills Fire—1967…similar, yet different.” (U.S.D.A. Forest Service Research Note PSW-183). 1968. Pacific Southwest Forest & Range Experiment Station, Berkeley, California. Accessed 3-20-2023 at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/psw/publications/documents/psw_rn183/psw_rn183.pdf