(Scroll down to see an update.)
The Rapid City Journal has an article that updates us on the condition of Austin Whitney who was seriously burned on the Coal Canyon fire in southwest South Dakota August 11, 2011. Austin’s partner on the engine crew that was burned over, Trampus Haskvitz, was killed on that fire.
Here are some excerpts from the article:
Firefighter Austin Whitney said he will be back at his job with South Dakota Wildland Fire Supression as a seasonal firefighter.
“I’m still a little sore in the arms, but that’s why there’s physical therapy,” Austin, 22, said Wednesday during a telephone interview from the Western States Burn Center at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colo. Doctors will tell Austin today if he is ready to head home to Hot Springs and begin the next phase of his recovery.
[…]
“The pain was unbearable,” Austin said, when asked about his injuries. Immediately after the incident, all he wanted to do was go home and see his family, he said.
Austin has a lengthy recovery ahead of him. He had four skin grafts Aug. 15 to cover third-degree burns on his left arm and second-degree burns on his right arm and both calves. The largest is about 29 inches along and covers most of his left arm. Skin was grafted on his right elbow and small areas below the elbow, and there are 4-inch by-6-inch grafts on the calf of each leg, his father, Robert Whitney, said.
[…]
Austin Whitney said his personal protective fire-resistant clothing “did its job for what I was in.” His leather gloves prevented any significant injuries to his fingers. He had only a couple minor burns on a finger and thumb.
For the next year, Austin will require therapy to flex and stretch the skin grafts. Most of his range of motion has returned, his father said.
“On the elbows, I still need to stretch the skin,” Austin added, noting that the graft areas are still tender. “Everything else, I’m doing just fine.”
[…]
Since his hospitalization, Austin has received visits from countless firefighters. His T-shirt and hoodie collection of fire agency logos has grown by 16 pieces.
The cards, flowers and letters made a “big difference” in Austin’s recovery, Robert Whitney said.
The Wildfire Firefighter’s Foundation has assisted the Whitneys with their expenses in Greeley, Robert Whitney said. He suggests that anyone who is interested in supporting firefighters make a donation to the organization.
“It’s an overwhelming deal, that when something like this happens, how the firefighter brotherhood will band together and support the families and friends,” Robert Whitney said.
[…]
Austin remembers most of what happened the afternoon of the fire, but there are parts of the incident he cannot talk about because of the investigation.
“I do know that I did get pulled out by a couple Forest Service guys,” Austin said. “They got me into a safety zone after the fire was backing down.”
According to a U.S. Forest Service 72-hour report on the incident that killed Haskvitz, Forest Service, state and volunteer firefighters responded to the fire about 1:30 p.m. in Coal Canyon, 9 miles north of Edgemont.
Firefighters were digging a line around the flank of the fire when they were trapped about 3:10 p.m., when their escape route was overtaken by what the report termed a “rapidly spreading fire.” Haskvitz died in his vehicle, according to the report.
Austin said there wasn’t time for him to deploy his “shake and bake,” the small safety tents wildland firefighters carry.
“I didn’t have time to. I wish I would have,” Austin said.
Austin Whitney has told his father that flames were probably 100 to 200 feet tall coming up the canyon.
“It was just one of those things you just couldn’t avoid,” Austin said. “It’s one of those things that everyone wishes they could have” avoided.
The Forest Service firefighters who pulled Austin Whitney out of the fire have not been identified by fire authorities.
Robert Whitney joins his son in thanking those firefighters.
We hope Austin has a speedy recovery.
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UPDATED at 4:40 p.m. MT, August 25, 2011:
Jim Strain of the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression tells us that Austin was discharged from the Burn Center in Greeley, CO this afternoon. His plans are to stay overnight in Greeley and visit some local fire departments on Friday morning before returning to his home in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Then with visiting nurses, he will continue home care, including rehab and physical therapy.
This is good news!
