CNY firefighters return home after fighting wildfires in the west

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — 21 firefighters returned to New York State after fighting wildfires out in Montana and Oregon for two weeks.

Three of those firefighters are from Central New York. Micheal Putnam with Fish and Wildlife is from Syracuse, Chester Lunt, a Forest Ranger, is from Fabius, and Michael Burkholder a Facilities Unit Leader and Forest Ranger, is from Norwich.

Most of the crews were in Montana to help battle the Grouse Fire, which burned more than 3,000 acres.

According to a spokesperson with the DEC, crews spent most of their time digging a line around the fire. That’s what containing a fire is. When you hear about a fire being 50% contained, that means there’s a line halfway around the fire. They create a line by digging all the way down to the dirt so there’s nothing left to burn.

Wildfires may be rare in New York, but one firefighter added it was still a valuable learning experience.

“There’s always a level of satisfaction. I think the more you do it, the more you’re just used to it. This is my sixth trip. So I like going. I like the grind. It’s a long trip. We go out clean-shaven and come back looking like this,” explained Chet Lunt, a Forest Ranger from Fabius.

Lunt also said getting to work with other firefighters helped him gain experience that be used when fighting fires in New York.

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