BEAVER – A firefighter was seriously injured Sunday while working to contain a large fire, now known as the Little Twist Fire near Beaver, fire officials said.
Little Twist Public Information Officer Kylee Stott said the firefighter is a member of the Bonneville Hotshot team based in Utah. Stott said he was struck by a falling tree.
The Bureau of Land Management said the firefighter was airlifted to a medical facility.
Daniel Burns is in his first year with the Bonnevile Hotshot team and is in a southern Utah hospital after being injured over the weekend and has a long recovery ahead of him.
KSL TV spoke with a former prominent firefighter who highlighted how difficult and dangerous the job can be.
“I’ve had my own accidents and it shakes you to your core and makes you rethink a lot of things,” Matthew Irving said.
Irving has retired from being a prominent firefighter, but he still considers the men and women of those teams like family.
“I’ve had some of my own accidents that I’ve been lucky to get out of, so when I saw this come up I realized and I think anything we can do to get him the help and support he needs is a good thing.” he said.
The Bureau of Land Management said they are still in the early stages of their investigation.
“Our thoughts are with our teammate on his path to healing,” a spokesperson said.
The fire, located four miles southeast of Beaver, is the largest fire in Utah and has been burning for more than a week. As of Monday, the fire had spread to 2,398 acres and was only 10% contained.
The fire began as a planned burn in the Fishlake National Forest by the Beaver Ranger District. The fire grew outside of controlled burn limits and spread to remote areas with rugged terrain.
As of Monday, more than 260 firefighters were working on the fire.
Stott said smoke from the fire would be visible for several weeks, including areas of Interstate 15, Interstate 70, Highway 89 and Highway 20.
You can donate to the firefighters. GoFundMe*.
Kiersten Nunez and Shara Park contributed to this story.
*KSL TV does not guarantee that the money deposited in the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering making a deposit into the account, you should consult your own advisors and proceed at your own risk.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.