3 firefighters injured while battling Dolan Fire — and 1 is in critical condition
CORRECTION: The article has been updated after receiving clarification from the U.S. Forest Service to reflect that three of the 15 firefighters were injured. A previous version of the story said all 15 had been injured. The article has also been updated to reflect a correction made by the Forest Service regarding Zone 24’s evacuation status.
Firefighters who were defending a structure in the southern area of the Dolan Fire near Big Sur were injured Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Fifteen firefighters resorted to a “shelter deployment” while defending the Los Padres National Forest Nacimiento Station before they sustained injures, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Three firefighters were injured, and one of those firefighters is in critical condition, according to a Forest Service news briefing.
The condition of two of the injured firefighters remained unknown as of 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Twelve other firefighters were being evaluated and treated for smoke inhalation, the Forest Service said.
The injured firefighters were airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, firefighters were trapped by the fire and used a last-resort protective shelter around 8:30 a .m. Tuesday.
The 15 firefighters were mostly Forest Service employees, and a few were contracted bulldozer operators, according to the Forest Service.
The fire reportedly jumped over the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road line, according to scanner traffic.
The Nacimiento Station in Monterey County was destroyed despite firefighters’ efforts to protect it, according to the forest service.
Evacuation orders were also in place Tuesday for Santa Lucia Memorial Park, Prewitt Ridge, South Coast Ridge, Gorda, and Lucia areas, while evacuation warnings were in place for Zone 24 and the Partington and Big Creek communities.
The Dolan Fire more than doubled in size overnight as a result of high winds, low humidity and record breaking heat over the weekend.
The 73,089-acres wildfire continues to be most active along its south and east edges.
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 2:06 PM with the headline "3 firefighters injured while battling Dolan Fire — and 1 is in critical condition."
