Firefighting agencies are unveiling reports of injuries to firefighters that occurred during the 2025 Washington firefighting season.
The Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (WFLLC) released two reports, one from the Stampede Ridge Fire involving a smokejumper injury, and another from the Labor Mountain Fire where a firefighter sustained an injury from a falling tree.
On Sept. 2, a team of smokejumpers attempted to attack a freshly started Stampede Ridge Fire. The first two jumpers landed without issue. The third jumper stated everything went smoothly with the jump until the last few moments coming into the landing zone, when he realized he was coming in a little faster and a little farther down the landing path than he wanted.
The jumper went into a half-brake position as he tried to steer into a safer portion of the landing area, but at this point, his parachute brushed against a tree, causing it to collapse. This accelerated his descent, which resulted in a hard impact, breaking bones in both of his feet.
