Fireground & Special Operations Concepts

05/28/2026

05/26/2026

05/25/2026

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."

05/21/2026