Five firefighters were injured July 22 when their fire engine was burned over while they were working on a wildfire in northeast Montana. They were constructing fireline on the Devils Creek Fire in Garfield County when a passing thunderstorm created erratic winds that blew the fire over their position.
At least three of the firefighters were taken to a burn center in Salt Lake City.
The lightning-caused fire is burning in rough, steep terrain near the Pine Grove School, about 36 miles northwest of Jordan, east of the Devils Creek Road which accesses the south shore of Fort Peck Reservoir.
Personnel on site continue to fight the blaze, which has burned about 375 acres of BLM and private land.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Al, Dick, and Tom.
Prayers for these heroes and their recoveries.
Latest in the Missoula paper says that the firefighters were 3 USFWS and 2 USFS,
gila nf engine on assignment up there
prayers for the crew
Unskilled Labor 🙁
I believe Mr. Ratcliff is referring to this widely reported comment from an elected official. In this case, from an article in the Union Democrat:
Hopefully the constituents of that Congressman hold him accountable. He probably couldn’t make it more than a few days on the fire line. Let alone making big picture fire management decisions.
Tom’s degree is in “Political” Science not Fire Science. I would say he couldn’t make it more than a few seconds because he would cry like a baby about the heat. 😉
If your looking to make a donation to an outfit that will have these firefighters backs as well as any others who may encounter the same fate…….look no further than here https://wffoundation.org/
These folks know how to help in ways the agency just can’t.
Thanks for the tip.
A good friend of mines husband was one of the injured ones 🙁
he got bad burns on both ears, face, neck and the worst is his hand. He may need skin graft on it. He is in good spirit.
I am not sure how badly the firefighters were burned but I suggest looking for local blood drives and donate blood. This is going to bee a long fire season. Do NOT listen to the negative firefighter comments and try to Stay Safe!
Prayers on the wing for those injured, as well as the many on the line throughout our country.
Thanks for sharing this information and best thoughts to those injured in this event. The community you are protecting appreciates all of your hard work. If you receive information regarding fundraising events for these brave wildland firefighters and their families, please share with your readers.