Incident commander loses post after wildfire complaint

An incident commander has lost his post after a regional U.S. Forest Service board reviewed his handling of a wildfire near Riggins last month.

The Idaho Statesman reports that Chris Ourada, of Idaho Falls, was taken off the Great Basin Type 1 incident management team, one of several elite units brought in to manage large fires or other emergencies.

The move comes after a report to the National Interagency Fire Center’s website said Ourada had ordered the hotshot crews into an unsafe situation. A crew had walked off the line after landowners and federal law enforcement officers had faced off with pistols on their hips.

Forest Service officials declined specific comment. But the agency’s Sue Stewart says the incident was reviewed and appropriate actions were taken.

Ourada declined comment to the newspaper. He remains in his post with the Caribou-Taghee National Forest.