BEAVER — A firefighter was injured while working the Little Twist wildfire south of Beaver on Sunday.
Central Utah Interagency Fire Organization public information officer Kylee Stott said in a press release the incident resulted in the man being airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Utah Bureau of Land Management public affairs Blake Johnson told St. George News the firefighter sustained injuries on the Little Twist fire while engaged in fire suppression.
“The firefighter was flown to a medical facility via medical air ambulance and is currently hospitalized with severe injuries,” Johnson said. “The BLM and U.S. Forest Service would like to thank the quick actions of first responders and all the personnel who provided medical care.”
According to a Bureau of Land Management social media post, the firefighter was struck by a tree and sustained serious injuries. The BLM and U.S. Forest Service have activated a “Lesson Learned Review” team to review the incident, the media release stated.
“Our thoughts are with our teammate on their road to healing,” according to the BLM Facebook post.
Suppression work
Stott said fire personnel were successful in implementing hand ignition operations along the northern perimeter of the fire on Monday.
“Firefighters will transition to using aerial ignitions (Tuesday) to consume fuels between the hand lines and the fire in the Little Twist drainage — in heavy dead and down timber — helping to secure portions of the fire perimeter,” Stott said.
Officials said there is the possibility of increased visibility of smoke in the area on Tuesday.
Favorable weather conditions enabled ground resources to continue establishing black line down the Little Twist Trail ridge, where hotshot crews previously constructed an indirect hand line in difficult terrain and heavy fuels,” the media update continued. “Crews on the east side of the fire along Circleville Mountain Ridge will continue with preparation for future hand ignitions.”
Stott noted that as of Tuesday, the Little Twist Fire had consumed an estimated 2,417 acres in the Fishlake National Forest, Beaver Ranger District.
Containment is projected at 15% and 305 firefighters and other personnel are on site battling what originally began as a prescribed burn.
For the safety of both the public and firefighters, authorities are asking residents to avoid accessing Forest Road No. 137 (Kents Lake Road) past Upper Kents Lake, Anderson Meadow and Lebaron Campgrounds and Recreation sites, as well as the South Creek area.
Smoke will continue to be visible for several weeks from surrounding areas.
Stott said that as of Tuesday, Little Reservoir, Tushar Lakeside and Kents Lake Campgrounds remain open to the public for both camping and recreational use during the day.
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