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| The plaque commemorating the eight men who perished fighting the Pepper Hill Fire. |
Situated along scenic Route 120 in Cameron County, sets a quaint roadside memorial. Here, the tragic story of eight men and their sacrifice came to a close. To find the beginning, one must look upon the steep rocky slopes of a terrain feature with a peculiar name, Pepper Hill.
Around noon on October 19th, the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) camp at Hunts Run, Cameron County was alerted to a forest fire on Pepper Hill in nearby Grove Township. Two crews of about twenty-five enrollees under Foreman Kammerath and Foreman Mohney jumped into trucks and raced towards the scene.
These young men and their leaders had little or no fire fighting training. What training they had consisted of classroom lectures and experience gained from fighting actual fires. When the alarm was raised, most of the men had only slept four or five hours after getting back to camp late from fighting a fire that had started the previous day.
Around 1:45pm, the crews arrived at the base of Pepper Hill along modern day Route 872. In all, four separate fires were burning in the vicinity. Foreman Kammerath decided to attack the smallest fire first. Kammerath placed his crew on the fire's left side while Mohney's crew took the right.
Mohney had his men begin establishing a fire line up the steep slope. Rakes, shovels, and torches were used to scrape and burn away leaves and woody debris to create a barrier to impede the spread of the fire. After working uphill for an hour, Mohney's crew was instructed to climb the mountain to the front of the fire and clear a fire line from the top down.
Mohney and his enrollees began climbing the rocky slope. As the men ascended, they could see the fire burning below them and to their left. By now, most of the crew was strung out across the mountainside as men stopped to take a breath while others continued toward the crest.
About 3:30pm, a strong wind began to gust over the hill. One of the men who had stopped to take a breather looked down the mountain and screamed in terror. The fire, fanned by the wind, was rushing up the mountain, penning them in on three sides. Only one option was left, run to the top!
Throwing off their equipment, the men desperately tried to outrun the approaching flames. Foreman Mohney was unable to outpace the fire and was overtaken by it, becoming its first victim. Some enrollees were able to find shelter on the large boulders at the top of the mountain. Unable to do anything, these men were forced to endure the screams of agony from their fellow comrades as they were consumed by the flames. After the wall of fire had passed by, six men lay charred and motionless on the mountain. Two others would perish from their wounds at nearby hospitals in the coming weeks.
Around 8:30pm that night, a rainstorm finally extinguished the Pepper Hill Fire after it had left a path of destruction spanning 134 acres. An investigation into the origins of the fire later determined that it had been intentionally set. A motive nor a suspect was ever found.
Exactly one year later, a roadside memorial was erected to commemorate the brave men who gave their lives fighting the Pepper Hill Fire. Today, the lessons learned on that terrible day are still taught in fire fighting schools across the country to hopefully prevent disasters like Pepper Hill from happening again.
Mohney and his enrollees began climbing the rocky slope. As the men ascended, they could see the fire burning below them and to their left. By now, most of the crew was strung out across the mountainside as men stopped to take a breath while others continued toward the crest.
About 3:30pm, a strong wind began to gust over the hill. One of the men who had stopped to take a breather looked down the mountain and screamed in terror. The fire, fanned by the wind, was rushing up the mountain, penning them in on three sides. Only one option was left, run to the top!
Throwing off their equipment, the men desperately tried to outrun the approaching flames. Foreman Mohney was unable to outpace the fire and was overtaken by it, becoming its first victim. Some enrollees were able to find shelter on the large boulders at the top of the mountain. Unable to do anything, these men were forced to endure the screams of agony from their fellow comrades as they were consumed by the flames. After the wall of fire had passed by, six men lay charred and motionless on the mountain. Two others would perish from their wounds at nearby hospitals in the coming weeks.
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| A topo map of Pepper Hill. The highway where the men started is at an elevation of 840 feet. The top of the hill where the men ran for safety is at 2000 feet. |
Around 8:30pm that night, a rainstorm finally extinguished the Pepper Hill Fire after it had left a path of destruction spanning 134 acres. An investigation into the origins of the fire later determined that it had been intentionally set. A motive nor a suspect was ever found.
Exactly one year later, a roadside memorial was erected to commemorate the brave men who gave their lives fighting the Pepper Hill Fire. Today, the lessons learned on that terrible day are still taught in fire fighting schools across the country to hopefully prevent disasters like Pepper Hill from happening again.
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| A view of the memorial from Route 120 Author's Photo |
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| The memorial is maintained by DCNR Author's Photo |
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| A beautiful fountain bubbles near the base of the memorial Author's Photo |
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