A state forestry firefighter was seriously injured in a rollover crash Saturday while responding to the Munson Creek Fire burning near Chena Hot Springs, the Division of Forestry said.
The firefighter was driving by himself in a state forestry truck on Chena Hot Springs Road around 5:20 p.m. when the vehicle went off the road near Mile 39 and rolled multiple times, the division of forestry said in an online statement.
“The driver was ejected from the vehicle and sustained extensive injuries,” the forestry division said.
Medics at the Munson Creek Fire responded to the rollover and a Fairbanks forestry helicopter took the man to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, the statement said. He was then medevaced to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage Saturday evening, the statement said.
“The firefighter was listed in serious but stable condition on Sunday and Alaska State Troopers are investigating the accident,” the statement said.
Fire crews continued working to contain the Munson Creek Fire over the weekend. The forestry division said it was roughly 19,700 acres by Sunday. Light rain on Saturday helped moderate the fire and fire crews were able to do more accurate mapping on Sunday because there was a break from smoke, the division said.
The lightning-caused fire started more than two weeks ago and is about a mile south of Chena Hot Springs. The road and hot springs remain open and the forestry division issued a notice that home and cabin owners in the area should be prepared to evacuate if the fire begins to threaten the structures.