Date of incident: July 2021
Notice of incident number: 2021194010017
Employer: Wildland firefighting services

Incident summary

A wildland firefighter (worker) was emptying fuel from a drip torch while conducting a controlled burnoff operation in a pasture area. The fuel suddenly ignited in the air and the worker sustained serious injuries.

Investigation conclusions

Cause

• Unknown ignition source lit fuel. When the worker poured fuel from the drip torch tank onto the unburned grass, the fuel or fuel vapour was exposed to an unknown ignition source, such as a flame or hot ember, and then ignited. This resulted in a flash (fireball) in front of the worker. The worker instinctively raised his arms to protect himself, resulting in the remainder of the fuel from the tank spilling, which then also caught fire.

Contributing factors

• Water-contaminated fuel. The employer’s investigation determined that water likely found its way into fuel barrels that were stored upright, contaminating the mixed fuel (1 part gasoline to 4 parts diesel). This fuel was then transferred into the 20-litre fuel container that was picked up by the worker’s team and used by the worker. This container was identified by blue flagging tape labelled “burn mix” and was located at the staging area’s fuel cache to supply fireline crews with drip torch fuel. The fuel was necessary for burning operations that were part of planned fireline activities. The employer’s fuel management system was not effective at preventing contaminated fuel from being used by the fire crew.
• Not checking immediate area for flame or hot embers. Before pouring out the fuel, the worker did not examine the area closely to ensure that there were no ignition sources nearby.