MT Firefighter Seriously Burned in Wildfire

A veteran volunteer Montana firefighter was seriously injured battling a Utah wildfire late last week.

Red Lodge Fire Rescue firefighter Dan Steffensen was part of a two-person crew working to contain the Harris Fire near Joliet on Friday when the winds suddenly shifted, the department stated in an online update. As Steffensen and the other firefighter tried to reach safety, their apparatus was burned over by the fast-moving flames.

Steffensen suffered significant burns, and he was taken to the University of Utah Burn Center in Salt Lake City in serious condition. The other firefighter was uninjured.

“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. This event is a reminder that firefighting is dangerous and we are truly grateful to those who answer the call to help others in time of need.”    

Steffensen has been a Red Lodge firefighter since 2015, and in 2017, he was named Firefighter of the Year. He is a nationally qualified wildland firefighter whohas fought fires in Montana, Oregon, California and other Western states as an engine boss and tender operator, the department stated.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Steffensen.