Beluga Fire Burn Injury 2026

At approximately 0615 hours on June 23, a firefighter received a burn injury while attempting to light a morning campfire. The firefighter had added saw fuel to the fire and then used a small piece of cardboard to ignite it. During ignition, residual fuel on the firefighter’s hand caught fire, resulting in burns to his right hand. The firefighter immediately extinguished the flames by placing his hand into nearby mud. 

An initial assessment by the crew’s Lead EMT identified what appeared to be second-degree burns to the top of the firefighter’s right hand with a smaller affected area on the palm. The firefighter was treated by the Lead EMT as per direction from the Medical Program Coordinator.

Due to smoke and weather conditions, aviation resources were unable to safely land at the designated helispot to transport the firefighter off the fire until approximately 1930 hours. The Lead EMT monitored the firefighter's condition throughout the day to ensure their condition remained stable.