Two OC Residents Return Home After Fighting Idaho Wildfire

Among a crew of 20 from New York that assisted in containing the Pioneer Fire

DEC personnel from New York in Idaho to help contain the Pioneer Fire. (Photo courtesy of New York State Executive Chamber)

A 20-member New York firefighting crew that helped fight the Pioneer Fire in Idaho returned to New York the afternoon of Sept 5. They helped contain a 180,300-acre wildfire, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a press release. The team was composed of Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) forest rangers, employees, and volunteers. Among the crew were Forest Ranger and Squad Boss Scott Sabo and Forest Ranger and Squad Boss Trainee Philip Parlier of Orange County. They spent two weeks in Idaho before returning first to Manchester, New Hampshire then coming back to New York.

The crew fought the wildfire alongside crews from 42 other states. The New York team helped create control lines to contain the flames, cleared materials from the path of the fire, and assisted with burn out operations. They endured temperatures in rough terrain that reached almost 90 degrees on a daily basis.

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