By Robert Schaulis
Times-Standard
REDDING, Calif. — 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, California, 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.”
While Renzo’s medical treatment is covered, the family is now navigating significant additional expenses: long-term travel, temporary relocation, lodging, meals, and critical resources to help Renzo regain independence and adjust to a new way of life. sister-in-law Morgan Reginato said on a GoFundMe page. (Contributed/ GoFundMe )
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.
“Those are some of our more elite firefighters that go out and do on-the-line suppression work,” Judy said. “… And those folks get inserted, whether … by air or hiking in (to incidents) such as the Butler Fire. Access is really limited, so they had to hike in multiple hours to get to the fire line itself or be flown in and dropped off.”
While Judy was unable to comment on the specifics of the firefighters’ injuries, he said that two firefighters have been discharged from the hospital and have returned home. The third, Reginato, remains in Redding awaiting a transfer to Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, “a world-renowned neurorehabilitation center,” when his condition is more stable.
“While Renzo’s medical treatment is covered, the family is now navigating significant additional expenses: long-term travel, temporary relocation, lodging, meals and critical resources to help Renzo regain independence and adjust to a new way of life,” Morgan Reginato said via GoFundMe. “Renzo has dedicated himself to the grueling and selfless work of firefighting. He trained, sacrificed and showed up every day to protect lives and communities. Now he needs our support.”
“We hope people understand the hard work that our folks are out there doing and appreciate our wildland firefighters here in California and the nation,” Judy said.
How to help
The GoFundMe to help the Reginato’s family is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-renzo-reginatos-road-to-recovery.
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