After eight firefighters were hurt in a rollover crash in Irvine Thursday night while leaving the Airport Fire lines, the total number of injured firefighters connected to the wildfire grew to 19, officials confirmed Friday.
The wildfire, which has burned in Orange and Riverside Counties, continued to some of the biggest challenges for fire crews in the steep, rugged terrain.
Over half of the Airport Fire, which scorched more than 23,000 acres, was contained as of Friday, but risks for those on the fire line remained high.
“This is what we do for a living,” Cpt. Steve Concialdi with the Orange County Fire Authority said. “There are difficult days, and this is one of them.”
More than 2,000 firefighters came together from different parts of California to fight the Airport Fire.
While there were no details about the specifics of those other injuries, Concialdi said the support from friends and family as well as the community is the fuel for every firefighter.
“We have to pace ourselves, and we work hard. That’s why we have resources from across the country to help us out. It takes everyone,” the fire captain said. “We have a master aide system that helps firefighters when we have these wildfires.”
The master aide system, according to Concialdi, is a network for firefighters that move across the state to help fight fires and provide relief for local crews.
