Firefighters are camping to continue to battle the Silver King Fire
Jul 17, 2024, 9:00 PM | Updated: Jul 19, 2024, 4:23 pm
The exact number of firefighters camping is 647, including managers and support staff.
RICHFIELD, Utah — Over 600 firefighters are camping in the small towns of Richfield and Marysvale as they continue to battle the Silver King Fire.
The exact number of firefighters camping is 647, including managers and support staff.
Some of them are sleeping in tents at a middle school in Richfield and many others are outside the Marysvale Community Center in tents.
“Wildland firefighting has it[s] downs. The organization, the structure… We use the incident command system,” Public Information Officer Shelly Olson said. She is also one of the campers and says there are caterers providing food for all of them.
She says the local community has welcomed the firefighters into their towns.
“The community has received the team and the firefighters with open arms and they’ve been so supportive,” Olson said.
Olson said these rough situations are not unusual, and she’s hopeful some of the hottest, windiest days are behind them.
Related stories:
- Growth of Silver King Fire leaves people in shock
- Silver King Fire now burning across over 10,000 acres, areas evacuated
- Fires continue in Southern Utah, but smoke most likely won’t travel north
- Multiple historic mining structures threatened by Silver King Fire
- Utah sees busy start to 2024 wildfire season, draws comparison to record-breaking year
