Low oxygen levels generated by a wildland fire

In several instances firefighting engines have stalled while working near or crossing active fire lines resulting in the loss of equipment, injury and/or life. That low oxygen potential was recorded here and it was done with a very small fire. Even in the presents of a steady 13 mph wind, with low green fuel, the fire effectively snuffed out my torch. Watch the tip of the torch. It often dims or goes out before touching the visible smoke. That is, the low oxygen zone is not necessarily part of the visible smoke. If an engine gulped enough low oxygen air to cause it to stall, it may take a substantial amount of cranking to evacuate all the bad air in the air filter box and intake manifolds. At that point the engine may be flooded and a burnover /entrapment is likely.