Two Indian River firefighters battle blazes in western states, officials say

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Two local firefighters are using their skills to help battle massive blazes in western states, a Florida Forest Service official said. 

Raymond Kirkland, of Sebastian, was flown to Utah and Trevor Taylor, of Vero Beach, was flown to Arizona, Forest Service spokeswoman Melissa Yunas said. Their ages were not immediately available. 

Kirkland is part of a 20-firefighting hand crew that is battling a 71,673 acre fire near Brian Head and Panguitch Lake in Utah, Yunas said. Taylor is working as a heavy equipment boss for an additional crew that is battling a 33,826 fire northwest of San Carlos in Arizona.

The two traveled to the blazes this past weekend and will be stationed at both locations for about 16 to 18 days, Yunas said. 

“Due to the extreme terrain out west, wildfires can be very intense,” said Jim Karels, state forester, in a news release. “Nevertheless, our Florida Forest Service wildland firefighters are prepared for exactly this. Their first-class training and experience battling wildfires in Florida will help them fight these fires aggressively and safely.”

The blaze in Utah is a human caused fire that ignited about noon June 17. It’s 85 percent contained, according to the InciWeb site, a national database for wildfires. Warm and dry conditions combined with sagebrush and grass are fueling the fire. 

Crews are conducting fire operations as needed and will mop-up in high resource areas, the site shows. Some areas near the fire perimeter are still under an evacuation order.  

The blaze in Arizona ignited about midnight June 25 and was caused by lightning. That fire is 75 percent contained, according to InciWeb. Timber, short grass and brush are fueling the fire, but it’s not expected to grow because of heavy rain in the forecast for the next few days.