SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – At approximately 8 a.m. this morning, a firefighter was injured while working in the Converse Basin area of the Rough Fire.
The firefighter was part of a Hotshot crew working the night shift, tasked with monitoring the fire line along Hoist Ridge, looking for spot fires that may have flared up outside the containment line.
Given the extremely steep, rugged terrain, a Rapid Extraction Module (REM) was dispatched to remove the firefighter from the scene to a road, and make the transport to and ambulance and on to a nearby helispot. A helicopter then transported the patient to the hospital for treatment. The firefighter was conscious and alert at the time of the extraction.
The injured Hotshot is now in the hospital, receiving treatment, in stable condition and good spirits, according to the Management Team’s Public Information Officer. The firefighter’s family has been notified and is en route.
The Forest Service is providing an employee advocate who is on scene to work with the firefighter’s family and medical staff to facilitate communication with all involved parties and deal with any needs of the family.
No further details on the nature of the injury or the identity of the injured firefighter are available at this time.
The Rough Fire has grown to 95,183 acres with 31 percent containment. Heavy smoke continues to impact central California on both sides of the Sierra Nevada.
