HARRISBURG, Pa. — After being away from home for nearly three weeks, 20 wildland firefighters are finally back in Pennsylvania.
“When you’re away for 20 days and you haven’t seen your family in so long, I think everyone is excited to be back," said Troy Stimaker, a crew boss for the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
On Saturday, a crew of DCNR firefighters returned to Harrisburg after being sent west to fight wildfires. Stimaker said his team joined fire crews working in the Boise National Forest in Idaho.
“It was a complex, so there were about four different fires. We spent our whole trip on what was the Bulldog Fire, which I think is now at 6,000 acres," said Stimaker.
Vaughn Holderman has volunteered in battling five wildfires over the years and said the Bulldog Fire was the most intense fire he's ever experienced. He said the crew spent several days working 24 hours straight just to try to get the fire under control.
“We literally did just about everything from cutting brush to digging lines to burnouts. We did hot spots and night shift," said Holderman. “There was a few times you had to get on the ground because it was so smoky, and you couldn’t breathe.”
With help from Pa., fire crews were able to keep the Bulldog Fire under control and protect the nearby town of Crouch, Idaho.
“We live in America. We should come together and help each other out," said Holderman. "This is what it’s about.”