By Rachel Engel
JOLIET, Mont. — A member of the Red Lodge Fire Rescue was evacuated to a burn unit after being overtaken by wildfire flames following a wind shift.
Firefighter Dan Steffensen was fighting the Harris Hill Fire in a two-person crew with Firefighter Scott Wilson when the wind shifted toward them, overtaking Steffensen, KTVQ 2 reported.
However, Wilson was able to escape and notify the incident commander about Steffensen’s condition, triggering EMS deployment.
Steffensen was flown to the University of Utah Burn Center in Salt Lake City, where he is in serious condition, according to a department statement on social media.
“We’d like to thank the wildland firefighting community for reaching out to us with offers of help and words of support,” Fire Chief Tom Kuntz said. “Please keep Dan and his family in your thoughts and prayers during these difficult times.”
A GoFundMe page was created to assist Steffensen and his family. As of Saturday evening, more than $23,000 had been donated.