Probably, behind the pay wall, but a great article about California National Guard helicopter rescue of Labor Day revelers from Lake Edison in the Sierra National Forest
Inside the mission to save hundreds of people trapped by the Creek Fire
The Creek Fire had devoured tens of thousands of acres in only a few hours, toppling oak and pine trees onto the curvy, single-lane road leading up the mountain to Mammoth Pool Reservoir. More than 360 people and 16 dogs found themselves trapped near Wagner’s General Store, along the lake.
They clustered on the beach, some wading into the cool water, as flames encircled the 8-mile-long reservoir, surging closer. They faced the prospect of burning alive — unless Rosamond’s chopper could reach them in time.
It was Labor Day weekend, and the popular outdoors destination northeast of Fresno had been packed. Bounded by two national parks and spanning 1.3 million acres, the forest drew a mix of hikers, campers and boaters every summer, particularly on holidays and especially since the pandemic hit. By Saturday evening, the number of revelers was at “Fourth of July levels,” the Madera County sheriff said.
The Creek Fire doesn’t rank among the top of the state’s largest wildfires on record, a grim leaderboard now changing by the week. But the blaze’s raw violence and speed outpaced evacuation alerts and caught thousands of people unaware, ambushing them on hiking trails, backcountry campsites and recreational lakes.
For many, escape wasn’t possible, not without help.
Cal Fire ground crews had tried and failed to reach Mammoth Pool. A California Highway Patrol helicopter couldn’t navigate through the smoky skies. That’s when the military helicopters, with special sensors, showed up. One of them was piloted by Rosamond, a 40-year-old military veteran with the California Army National Guard.
A Blackhawk followed behind his Chinook helicopter, their rotors thumping as they chopped through the darkness. Rosamond snapped on his night-vision goggles, casting the landscape in green. He couldn’t see farther than a half-mile out. The haze obscured even the moonlight.
The burning forest would have to light the way.
Rosamond pushed the Chinook forward through the smoke, navigating from ridgetop to ridgetop, as he tried to keep his bearings in the 16-ton, heavy-lift helicopter. He couldn’t make out the electrical wires that latticed the mountains — but this was an aircraft designed for warfare. With the use of delicate military sensors, he was able to continue safely.
His radio chattered again. In the choking smoke, the Blackhawk pilot who had been tailing him had lost sight of Rosamond’s Chinook and turned back, hoping to find a safer route.
This was a dangerous mission. The call to the California National Guard had gone out five hours earlier, around 3:15 p.m. — and only after every other ground attempt to evacuate Mammoth Pool had been exhausted. While the force is routinely summoned for search-and-rescue operations in the state, none has ever looked quite like this.
That afternoon, an exasperated Madera County firefighter had reported that an attempt to use a California Highway Patrol helicopter for a rescue hadn’t been successful. Wind speeds had picked up too much, whipping the wildfire into a frenzy. “We couldn’t do it,” he said over the radio.
At the same time, an airplane mapping the Creek Fire for ground crews bailed and was diverted to a wildfire burning in San Bernardino County —
ignited by a couple who had used pyrotechnics for a gender reveal video — because of the dangerous air conditions. Across the state, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. had announced plans to cut power to prevent igniting a wildfire for the first time this year, catalyzed by the same winds that were now grounding aircraft.
At 6:58 p.m., a Creek Fire operations commander called off the air rescue: “At this time it’s negative to be able to fly into that area, too much smoke.”
The National Guard helicopters — one piloted by Rosamond — were already on their way. At about 7:40 p.m., he called Cal Fire commanders over the radio, asking how soon firefighters would be able to reach the scene. Their response: “It may take hours.” Crews would first have to cut their way in through fallen trees and spray down flames.
About 20 minutes later, Rosamond spotted the Mammoth Pool Reservoir dam. He circled the lake, searching for a landing place. Embers whipped through the air, and strands of pines torched like candles. The Wagner General Store,
a 6-decade-old institution, had already burned down along with six cabins. The flashing hazard lights of all-terrain and recreational vehicles and campers pointed him to the beach.
People had gathered along the low-tide line, as close to the water as possible. He landed the Chinook atop the boat ramp. The rotor kicked up so much ash, dirt and sand that he couldn’t see through the windshield. It reminded him of landings he had done during deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Flight engineers in camouflage passed out bottled water and loaded the injured, along with women and children, into the back of the helicopter. As Rosamond surveyed the scene, he noticed multiple burn victims and some people with broken bones. He called for ambulances to meet the Chinook at the airport in Fresno.
About 60 more people packed into the seats. Startled, Rosamond realized that earlier estimates had been inaccurate. There were 30
families — not 30 people — seeking refuge at the lake and in need of rescue. Hundreds more than he had known.
Rosamond landed in Fresno with the first round of evacuees. He stayed only as long as it took to refuel, then whirred back into the wildfire. He approached from the east and circled over Huntington Reservoir, waiting for the Blackhawk to pick up a load of passengers, before touching down onto the boat ramp again. The surface of the lake roiled, thick with ash and debris.
The flight engineers gestured at people to climb inside. Nearly immediately, they lost count of how many had boarded. About 30 to 33 soldiers in full combat gear can normally fit in a Chinook, but it was standing room only in the back of the helicopter. Campers filled every inch of space, with duffel bags or children in their laps. The aircraft was so heavy with passengers that it added 10 minutes to their flight time.
“We used up every bit of skill that we’ve learned for high altitude and heavy flying,” Rosamond said. “We had to take the longer way back. We needed more time to climb above the mountains.”
It was only after landing in Fresno that they were able to do a proper count. There were 102 people crammed onboard.