Two Firefighters in Trinity County Medevacked to Hospital
Last night, a rolling boulder injured two firefighters on the Middle Fire northeast of the Canyon Creek trail head in Trinity County only a few miles from where volunteer firefighter and EMT Daniel Komins died during a solo hike in early August. The two were medivacked out of the remote and rugged mountainous area by a Coast Guard helicopter early this morning while it was still dark. A second helicopter than took them to the hospital.
The injured crew members belonged to GFP Enterprises, a private company that provides firefighting teams. According to Paul Asher, spokesman, “One had a broken femur [on his] right leg. The other one had an injury not as bad to the shoulder area.”
He laughed and added, “I spoke to them both this morning….They were both in really good spirits…One wanted to go back to work today.”
Asher said the two were part of a 20 person hand crew that was dispatched as the initial response to the Middle Fire. “The crew hiked in,” Asher explained. “It took them three hours to get to the fire….When the crew got there, it was three to five acres..The fire behavior was pretty extreme…[At one point,] it jumped over a retardant line…The crew started digging a handline around 6 o’clock [in the evening].”…[Later] a boulder about the size of a soccer ball came out of nowhere above the fire…It struck one person and then struck another.”
Asher said the remaining crew hiked out this morning. They are resting today before heading back in this evening.
He said the Middle Fire “was burning pretty good through the night.” It was 20 acres as of this morning and growing, according to InciWeb.
UPDATE Saturday: Coasties Release Video of Night Rescue of Injured Firefighters as Flames Lick Nearby Trees
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Good to see your ok i worked on hill sides for years had one hit me in the shin took aboit 8 stitches
The world needs more firefighters. Thank you for your service.
Get well firefighters. Thank you so much for putting your lives on the line to stop the fire. You are very much appreciated!
I’ll second that emotion.
Glad they weren’t hurt real bad.