When the M*A*S*H Set Caught Fire, Everyone Ran. What Mike Farrell Risked His Life to Save for Loretta Swit Will Bring You to Tears In October 1982, a devastating, real-life wildfire swept through the Malibu mountains, heading straight for the outdoor set of M*A*S*H. The sky turned terrifyingly orange. Thick, choking black smoke filled the air, and emergency sirens wailed. The fire department issued a frantic, mandatory evacuation order: Drop everything and run for your lives. The cast and crew sprinted toward the evacuation vehicles. But in the middle of the chaos, Loretta Swit (Margaret Houlihan) suddenly stopped, bursting into panicked tears. Her dressing trailer was already being surrounded by a wall of thick smoke and creeping flames. And trapped inside was an irreplaceable, priceless keepsake that belonged to her late mother. The fire chief screamed that it was too late—the trailer was gone. Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicutt) heard her crying. He didn’t wait for permission. While everyone else was running away from the inferno, the tall, gentle actor grabbed a heavy production blanket, soaked it completely in a water cooler, threw it over his head, and sprinted directly into the smoke. The crew watched in absolute horror. Mike reached Loretta’s trailer, but the intense heat had warped the metal door frame. It was jammed shut. Without hesitating, Mike violently kicked the door open, vanished into the smoke-filled room, and grabbed the small keepsake box. Seconds later, he burst back out of the trailer, sprinting through the falling ash just moments before the structure was completely swallowed by the fire Coughing and covered in dark soot, Mike walked up to a sobbing Loretta Swit and gently placed her mother’s keepsake into her hands. He didn't say a word. He just hugged his terrified "little sister" while the 4077th burned to the ground behind them.