2 Forest Service Firefighters Injured While Fighting the Bond Fire in California
Two Forest Service firefighters were injured Thursday fighting the Bond Fire in Orange County, California. Like many other wildfires throughout the West Coast this season, this wildfire has forced thousands of people to flee their homes, according to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA).
The injured firefighters have not been identified at the time of publication. The Cleveland National Forest Department tweeted Friday that the firefighters, of whom “one sustained a leg injury & the other suffered minor bruising,” were treated and released Thursday night.
Both the Cleveland National Forest Department and the OCFA did not respond to requests for further information at the time of publication.
EVACUEES of #BondFire. You’re
strongly encouraged to seek safety with family/friends or in a hotel.
Due to COVID-19, no congregate shelter is offered. A temporary OC Red Cross evacuation point is at 8405 E. Chapman Ave, Orange. Info and restrooms available. pic.twitter.com/O6fiRmmYPX— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) December 3, 2020
The Bond Fire roared to life after a house fire sparked flames in the brush around the dwelling, which rapidly spread. According to the OCFA, as of Friday at 12:25 p.m. CST, the Bond Fire was 6,400 acres in size and had forced over 25,000 residents in the area to evacuate.
More than 500 firefighters from local, state, and federal firefighting agencies are fighting to contain the Bond Fire, working throughout the day and night. Eleven firefighting aircraft are flying and executing fire extinguishing and containment actions.
As firefighters are working to contain the Bond Fire, a red flag warning is still in place until Saturday, which means optimal fire conditions are present due to warm temperatures, very low humidity, and high winds.
The Bond Fire isn’t far from the Silverado Fire Complex, which severely burned two hand-crew firefighters after the fire overcame their position. The Silverado Fire Complex sparked to life growing from an initial 2,000 acres burned to over 11,000 acres burned in less than 48 hours. The fire burned 12,466 acres in total and lasted from Oct. 26 to Nov. 7, 2020.
According to the Cal Fire incident map, the wildfires started in California as early as June 2020. Since the onset, nearly 4.2 million acres have burned and over 10,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed. And as a result of this season’s fires, 33 people have died.
The California 2020 fire season has dwarfed the previous year as far as the acreage burned and number of incidents. According to Cal Fire, from Jan. 1 to Nov. 29, there were 7,786 incidents of fire that burned 1,409,683 acres. Over the same period in 2019, there were 6,872 incidents affecting 253,321 acres.
Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. He has covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. After leaving the service, he worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. After five years as in paramedicine, he transitioned to a career in multimedia journalism. Joshua is married with two children. His creative outlets include Skovlund Photography and Concentrated Emotion.
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