One firefighter remains at the Mercy Medical Center in Redding, after a tree-strike incident along the Butler Fire last Friday sent three to the hospital. Renzo Reginato, an El Cariso Hotshot firefighter out of Southern California’s Cleveland National Forest, suffered serious injuries, according to a GoFundMe page set up by sister-in-law Morgan Reginato.
“During operations, a tree unexpectedly fell, striking Renzo and two of his crewmates. The incident left Renzo with severe injuries, including a broken tibia and fibula and a life-changing traumatic spinal injury,” that page said. “He was airlifted to Mercy Medical Center in Redding, CA, where he underwent emergency orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures. Renzo now faces a long and difficult road to recovery, supported closely by his fiancée and family.” According to a U.S. Forest Service press release, the tree strike incident occurred at approximately 2:15 p.m. on July 18.
Spokesperson Nathan Judy confirmed that the three firefighters involved in the accident are each U.S. Forest Service personnel that call Cleveland National Forest in Southern California their home forest. They were part of an Interagency Hotshot Crew assigned to the Butler Fire, part of the Orleans Complex Fire that spanned nearly 19,000 acres of Six Rivers National Forest in Del Norte and Siskiyou counties as of Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
