Hotshot Firefighters Severely Burned Battling Silverado Fire

IRVINE, CA — Two Orange County Fire Authority firefighters suffered major injuries battling the Silverado Fire on Monday, officials said. They were transported to Orange County Global Medical Center with severe burns, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Brian Fennessy.

Inside the hospital, they are both on ventilators, each critical condition and severely burned.

"One of the hardest things that a fire chief can do is report out that one of our firefighter family members has been injured, or worse," Fennessy told reporters from outside the hospital.

At 12:15 p.m., the fire authority learned that the two Santiago Hand Crew firefighters suffered critical injuries while battling the "heel of the fire," according to Fennessy.

The two men, one 26-year-old and another 31-year-old, each suffered 2nd and 3rd-degree burns over 50 percent of their bodies.

As of this report, both firefighters were intubated and considered in critical condition, Fennessy said.

Their families are with them at this time, he said.

"Please keep these firefighters and their families in your thoughts and prayers," he said. "This is a tough fire: high winds, low humidity. Our firefighters are some of the bravest in the world. I am so proud of our firefighters, our hand crew, and please keep them in your thoughts."

The Silverado Fire continues to burn across Irvine's Orchard Hills area and into Foothill Ranch, according to an OCFA spokesperson. Mission Viejo residents are on standby alert.

With all aircraft grounded, firefighters are defending structures over hilly terrain without backup from above. "The ground crew has done a great job protecting structures," an OCFA spokesperson said. The cause of the fire, which began at Santiago Canyon Road, is under investigation.

Read: Silverado Fire: Firefighters Hospitalized, Over 7,200 Acres Burn