There was a memorial ceremony just this past September at a historical marker to remember the tragic Clear Creek-Kings Canyon Fire from 1926. Five men lost their lives in that fire. Five firefighter helmets were placed on shovels as a temporary memorial to those men who died during the ceremony.
It was 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 28 in the year 1926. Fire had broken out at the Jack Smith Ranch at the base of Clear Creek Canyon above Carson City, Nev.
Flames were high, and the fire traveled up the canyon rapidly, getting ever so close to the source of timber for all of the state's mines at Glenbrook. The fire also burned several ranches. Strong winds fanned those flames, and caused the fire to reverse itself and come down Kings Canyon. Again, it reversed itself and raced up Kings Canyon one more.
In its path were five firefighters who were trapped by the flames near the "double barrels turn" on the road to Glenbrook.
Three of the men died instantly, the other two with intensive burns were transported to the hospital where they later died.
Those you died that day:
George Brown, prisoner
J.E. Mitchell, prisoner
Ross E. Morres, V&T RR-Gandy Dancer
Arthur Sunday, forest ranger
Bryant Whitmore, prison guard
The Zephyr Crew and Tahoe Douglas Fire will be paying their respect to the fallen wildland firefighters at a small vigil on the anniversary of the fire, Wednesday, September 28, at 5:30 p.m.
Flowers and a banner will be placed at the mostly hidden and little known marker on the side of Spooner Highway during the ceremony, halfway up the mountain toward the summit from Carson City. The memorial marker and event will be on the eastbound side of the road traveling downhill. There is a pull out and lookout for the valley and canyon below.
Zephyr Crew will remember the firefighters with a short biography and Wildland Helmets will be placed to honor each individual. The topography and fuels in the area where the burn over occurred and the ever-changing winds can be observed from this site. The strong gusts, or Zephyrs for which the Zephyr crew gets its name, serve as a not so gentle reminder of the risks faced by firefighters and the dangers that we face in the Tahoe Forest Environment.
Keegan Schafer crew boss said "we had some comments from the community and geocache folks that noted the current marker is somewhat hidden and difficult to locate and we wanted to remember our brothers." Tahoe Douglas Fire wants to work to raise the awareness and visibility of the memorial site. This is something we will work for in the future.
The public is invited to the vigil.