2006 — March 12, Wildfire (fire/evac. accidents, 7 direct 5 indirect), Northeastern TX– 12

–12  ABC 7 News (Natassia Tamari). “Wildfire Anniversary: March 12, 2006.” 3-13-2009.

–12  Badger. Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires for 2006 (NFPA No. MDS06). 2007, 20.

–12  CDC. “Wildfire-Related Deaths – Texas, Mar 12-20, 2006.” MMWR Weekly, 56/30, 8-3-07

–11  CNN. “Texas wildfires’ death toll now 11.” 3-14-2006.

–11  Cox, Mike. Texas Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival. 2011, p. 230.

 

Narrative Information

 

Badger:  “Texas

“Date, Time of Alarm, Number of Deaths

“March, 11:07 a.m., 12 (including one firefighter)

“Setting…Wildfire. Grass and brush

“Climate…Hot and dry. Drought conditions (11 months without rain), and windy.

“Fire Origin and Path

“This complex consisted of two larger fires and six smaller fires. The larger fire was started when a power line fell igniting dry grass. Destroyed were 89 structures including 9 houses, 5 vehicles, 1,040 electrical poles, and 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) of fence, and 907,245 acres (367,149 hectares) were burned. It was estimated that 4,296 head of livestock perished. Eight towns were evacuated and a 90-mile (144.8-kilometer) stretch of the interstate was closed for nine hours due to the blinding smoke condition.

 

“Factors Hindering Occupant escape

“A firefighter was killed when the fire apparatus he was riding overturned. Four people died in a nine-vehicle crash on the smoke-covered interstate. Four died when their vehicle ran off the road and the fire overran the occupants attempting to escape the fire. Three died in their homes while preparing to evacuate.”  (Badger, Stephen G. Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires for 2006 (NFPA No. MDS06). Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, Fire Analysis and Research Division, Sep 2007, p. 20.)

 

CDC: “During March 12–20, 2006, wildfires burned approximately 1 million acres in the Panhandle region of Texas, advancing 45 miles in 9 hours, with dense smoke and flames up to 11 feet. The two largest fires, which together extended into nine counties, resulted from power lines downed by sustained winds of 46 mph and gusts up to 53 mph. The wildfires destroyed more than 89 structures, with losses estimated at $16 million. The fires caused evacuations in eight communities with a total population of 4,072 (1). This report summarizes the circumstances of 12 deaths and describes the five separate incidents caused by the two wildfires that resulted in those deaths…

 

“In response to the wildfires, regional and state public health preparedness staff members at the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) began mortality surveillance and initiated an investigation to characterize the associated deaths. Case finding was conducted via interviews with local emergency management officials, justices of the peace, and highway safety officials in addition to reviews of local newspaper accounts of the wildfires. A case was defined as any death among civilians or firefighters (volunteer or paid) directly or indirectly associated with incidents associated with one of the two wildfires during March 12–20, 2006. A directly related death was defined as one resulting from direct contact with the wildfire or a wildfire product (e.g., smoke or superheated air). An indirectly related death was defined as one resulting from indirect contact with a wildfire product (e.g., smoke that caused poor visibility, resulting in an automobile crash). Age, sex, county of occurrence, and time and cause of death for each decedent was provided by the Bureau of Vital Statistics of TDSHS.

 

“Twelve deaths (seven directly related and five indirectly related) were considered related to the wildfires. Decedents were aged 14–94 years; median age was 48 years. Eight of the decedents were male. All 12 decedents were injured on March 12, between 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eleven were civilians who died on March 12, less than 7 hours after the fires began; the twelfth decedent was a volunteer firefighter who sustained serious injuries on March 12 and died 27 days later.

 

“The injuries that resulted in the 12 deaths occurred in four rural counties (Hutchinson, Roberts, Gray, and Donley), in five separate incidents within a 45-mile radius (figure). [Not reproduced here.]  Three of the five incidents resulted in multiple deaths, including two incidents in which four persons died and one in which two persons died. The immediate cause of death for eight (67%) of the decedents was smoke inhalation; the underlying cause for four of those eight was listed as superheated air from grass wildfires. The immediate cause of death for the other four (33%) decedents was blunt-force trauma and complications resulting from injuries; the underlying cause was listed as vehicular accident/collision. Following are descriptions of the five incidents, all of which occurred on March 12.

 

“Incident 1. At approximately 1:30 pm, four persons died as a result of a nine-car collision on Interstate 40. The collision was caused by reduced visibility because of blowing smoke, sand, and dirt from a wildfire. Three of the decedents, two females aged 14 and 49 years and one male aged 56 years, were in the same vehicle; the fourth decedent, a female aged 46 years, was in a separate vehicle. Local officials closed 90 miles of the highway for 9 hours because of heavy smoke.

 

“Incident 2. At approximately 3:00 p.m., an estimated 38 miles from incident 1, rescuers attempted to evacuate an older couple from their home in advance of a spreading wildfire. A female neighbor aged 64 years came to the home to assist with the evacuation. Rescuers were able to place the wife into a rescue vehicle and her husband, aged 84 years, into the neighbor’s vehicle. As both vehicles were leaving the property, rescuers noticed that the second vehicle (with the older man and neighbor) had turned around and returned to the home. Both the man and his neighbor were overcome by flames from the advancing wildfire.

 

“Incident 3. At approximately 6:00 p.m., a man aged 94 years died at his home, approximately 5 miles from incident 2. The man had refused attempts by emergency responders to evacuate him from his home in the face of the advancing wildfire.

 

“Incident 4. At approximately 6:30 p.m., an estimated 30 miles from incident 3, four male oil rig workers (aged 25, 27, 30, and 42 years) were driving to work when their vehicle veered off a pasture road in reduced visibility conditions caused by smoke from a wildfire. The vehicle was trapped in a ravine; the men fled the vehicle and used a cellular telephone to contact a coworker, telling him they were having trouble breathing and could not see. The four men were overcome by smoke; their bodies were recovered by emergency responders 24 hours later, approximately 75 yards from their vehicle.

 

“Incident 5. At approximately 7:00 p.m., an estimated 45 miles from incident 4, a male volunteer firefighter aged 62 years was driving a water truck near Interstate 40 in a field where graders had moved brush, leaving the ground softened. When flames approached, the firefighter attempted to escape by backing up the truck, which turned over and rolled down a 60-foot ravine. The firefighter sustained serious injuries and died 27 days later.”[1] (CDC. “Wildfire-Related Deaths – Texas, March 12-20, 2006.” MMWR Weekly, Vol. 56, No. 30, 8-3-2007, pp. 757-760.)

 

CNN:  “Borger, Texas (CNN) — Rapidly spreading wildfires have scorched nearly 700,000 acres of Texas grasslands — the equivalent of two-thirds of Rhode Island –according to forestry officials.  At least 11 deaths have been blamed on the fires in the state’s northeastern panhandle. Four of those people died in a traffic accident Sunday [March 12] while trying to flee a fast-moving blaze. Four others were found dead in a car Monday [March 13] evening after running off a road and into a ravine. “At this time Roberts County Sheriff’s Office and DPS (Texas Department of Public Safety) authorities are investigating to determine the cause of the accident as well as the identity of the bodies,” said a statement form Texas State Trooper Daniel Hawthorne.  “The information obtained at this time suggests that these individuals died as a result of the large grass fire in Roberts County.”

 

“Spokeswoman Marylynn Grossman said two fires charred more than 650,000 acres in only an 8-hour period Sunday. The two were about 40 percent contained as of Monday evening, a DPS statement said.

 

“The two fires — one along Interstate 40, the other just east of Borger — spread easily along the extremely dry terrain, Grossman said.  At the same time, several other fires were reported, one of them charring Buckle L ranch in Cottle County and spreading into Childress County, in the northwest part of the state. That fire included not only dry grass, but also oak and juniper trees, which can burn longer, Grossman said….

 

“As of late Monday, 697,000 acres were burning in Hutchinson, Gray, Cottle and Childress counties….

 

“About 2,000 people in seven counties have been evacuated….

 

“Smoke from the fires contributed to a nine-car accident on Interstate 40 near Groom, killing four people. After the crash, a stretch of I-40 near Amarillo was closed to motorists for a time.

 

“Borger Fire Department Capt. Mike Galloway said there were three fatalities east of Borger in Hutchinson county….”  (CNN. “Texas wildfires’ death toll now 11.” 3-14-2006.)

 

Sources

 

ABC 7 News (Natassia Tamari). “Wildfire Anniversary: March 12, 2006.” 3-13-2009. Accessed 10-29-2017 at: http://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/wildfire-anniversary-march-12-2006

 

Badger, Stephen G. Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires for 2006 (NFPA No. MDS06). Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, Fire Analysis and Research Division, Sep 2007. Accessed 7-8-2013: http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/files/research/nfpa%20reports/overall%20fire%20statistics/catastrophic2006.ashx

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Wildfire-Related Deaths – Texas, March 12-20, 2006.” MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) Weekly, Vol. 56, No. 30, 8-3-2007, pp. 757-760. Accessed 7-9-2013: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5630a1.htm

 

CNN. “Texas wildfires’ death toll now 11.” 3-14-2006. Accessed 7-9-2013 at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/14/wildfires/

 

Cox, Mike. Texas Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Reported by: D Zane, MS, J Henry, PhD, C Lindley, DVM, P Pendergrass, MD, L Mansolo, Texas Dept of State Health Svcs. D Galloway, T Spencer, M Stanford, Texas Forest Svc. D Batts, MD, National Center for Environmental Health, CDC.