VIDEO: A wildland firefighter battling the Ptarmigan Fire near Silverthorne has just learned he lost his own home in a separate fire.
“I was only three days away from fire season being over,” Mason Dixon said.
Dixon is with the Eastern Nevada Agency of the Bureau of Land Management. For the past week, he has been in Summit County battling Colorado’s most current, notable blaze.
Over the weekend, the 23-year-old received a text message that his home, in Elko, Nevada, had burned to the ground — and four family dogs had perished inside.
“Everything’s completely melted,” he said.
Dixon believes a “freak” wood stove accident is the cause.
One of Dixon’s immediate bosses, Jason Pendleton, made it a priority to get the young firefighter back to Northern Nevada.
“They’ve been more than supportive,” Dixon said.