Forest Service Cleared in Esperanza Fire Deaths

A mix of wind-stoked flames and a lapse in awareness -- not misconduct on the fire line -- is to blame for the deaths of five Forest Service firefighters in the 2006 Esperanza Fire, a federal probe has concluded. The findings were released Thursday after months of delays by the U.S. Agriculture Department's Office of Inspector General and are generally in line with previous investigations into the 43,000-acre wildfire, which tore through the hills south of Cabazon and overran the men of Forest Service Engine Crew 57. The three-year investigation centered on the actions of those who fought the blaze and could have led to criminal charges against fire personnel. But ultimately, investigators found no wrongdoing on the part of the Forest Service or Cal Fire. The agencies battled the Esperanza Fire together, but the report found that Cal Fire alone was in command of the fire. The determination that there was no misconduct was well received by some within the firefighting community, which has eagerly awaited the report's release. Investigators determined that the deaths were the result of an ill-advised decision by the crew to make a stand outside an unoccupied house, combined with extreme fire conditions fueled by Santa Ana winds. The report cited "rapid, unexpected fire behavior -- propelled by the sudden emergence of fire-related weather phenomena," as well as the location of the doomed crew...read more