LEHI, Utah — A crew from Lehi returned home today after two weeks of fighting fires in Nevada.
"We were sent to Ely Nevada originally for initial attack fires," said engine boss Aaron Fuller. "They were concerned about the hot dry weather and windy conditions mixed with some forecasts of thunderstorms in the area. They also told us when we got there that they’ve seen their fuel moisture at record lows so everything in the area was perfect conditions for fire behavior."
The team spent one week helping with small initial attack fires off the sides of highways and hillsides.
They spent the other week fighting the "Flat Fire," North of Ely. That fire was announced contained on Friday, but grew to 2,500 acres.
Traveling out of Utah to fight fires isn't a new concept for this Lehi team.
"We have this brush truck, it’s a type 6 that we send out every season. It’s available nationally and it’s been pretty much everywhere on the west coast to fight fires and assist other agencies," Fuller said.
The team goes on two-week rotations from June to October. Even though they've only gone to Nevada this summer, Fuller believes this fire season is far from over.
"It’s looking like it might be a longer season. Things are still continuing to heat up and there are still busy places like California especially people are seeing that on the news," Fuller said. "So we are glad to be able to lend our services to them."
For now, the crew is soaking up some rest before they head back out on another assignment.
The team will have two days off before they reach back out to their dispatch center and are marked as "available" for an assignment.
As far as their next location, wherever assistance is needed, that's where the crew from Lehi is headed.
