Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge Prescribed Fire ATV Burnover RLS

On May 4, 2026, personnel from the Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge implemented a 198-acre prescribed burn in a local agricultural area. During firing operations, the lead interior lighter encountered an unexpected obstacle while advancing south through dense tules adjacent to the cold black. The ATV was halted by a crescent-shaped berm, approximately four feet high and 60 feet long, composed of compacted tule resulting from wetland water drainage activities. The berm's height, curvature, and surrounding vegetation posed a significant hazard—preventing safe navigation over it.

While attempting to reposition the ATV, the operator immediately backed up approximately 15 feet into his recently lit strip fire to quickly navigate around the berm to the safety zone. While fire intensity near the ATV was low at the time, the operator understood that there was typically a 10-second lag between lighting the strip fire and flames reaching up to 20 feet tall in the densest tules. Recognizing imminent danger, the operator promptly exited the ATV and moved to the designated safety zone in the clean black, located roughly 15 feet east of the vehicle. While the operator remained unharmed, the ATV was destroyed.

Lessons
1. Unexpected berms or compacted fuel features can develop within wetland units because of water management activities, even in areas where staff have not previously encountered them.
2. Proximity to the black does not guarantee a reliable escape route or safety zone in light flashy fuels.
3. Tall, continuous vegetation can obscure hazards and limit situational awareness during mobile ignition.
4. Reinforce the practice of continually reassessing escape routes during mobile ignition and avoiding assumptions about safety based on proximity to the black in light flashy fuels.

Get the full report from our home page, link in profile.

New issue of Two More Chains!
Rapid Lesson Sharing

In this issue, we dive into Rapid Lesson Sharing: Where did it come from, how do you create one, what makes a good RLS, and how do you apply the lessons?
Plus, Travis Dotson, our longtime analyst, reflects on his time at the Lessons Learned Center.

Read it here: https://lessons.wildfire.gov/two-more-chains

On May 13 at 1330 hours, a crew of firefighters completed Wildland Fire Chainsaw RT 212 Operations. They were traveling back to staging when a loud pop was heard from the bed of their pickup truck.
A can of premixed fuel had "popped" off its plastic spout and leaked fuel. Because this can was in a fuel bag, the spray was contained. Even so, leaked fuel was now in the truck bed.
Ambient air temperature was approximately 87 degrees. The truck had been sitting in the sun for approximately four hours. V***r pressure in the can caused the spout to fail. Other nearby cans in the truck’s bed were slightly expanded—but not leaking.

Lessons:
-Use caution if using premix fuel cans—they do not have venting capabilities.
-If taking to the fireline, consider transferring fuel out of these containers into a venting container.
-Be mindful to where fuels are being stored. To reduce solar radiation impacts, move to shade if possible.

Get the full report here: https://lessons.wildfire.gov/incident/texas-training-pre-mixed-fuel-can-failure-2026

Remember - fuel in the bed of a truck can be problematic on the fireline. Earlier this year three trucks were destroyed on the Cottonwood Fire in Nebraska: "It is suspected that an ember likely landed in the back of one of the pickup trucks starting a fire which rapidly grew due to the hot and dry conditions."