Sean Taylor and Kyle Bratcher used a shovel and axe to put out a fire in SE Oregon

SALEM, Ore — Two Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife employees helped extinguish a wildfire that started when an RV trailer caught fire in the southeastern Oregon Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge on Aug. 16.

Biology aides Sean Taylor and Kyle Bratcher used fire extinguishers and backpack sprayers to douse fire in the surrounding sagebrush.  They dug a fire line and used a shovel and axe to stamp out flames that were at times over their heads. The fire consumed approximately one acre.

“Without their quick reaction, good thinking and hard work a major fire could have spread through the wildlife refuge,” said Native Fish Investigations Project Leader Steve Jacobs.

Taylor and Bratcher work in southeastern Oregon sampling streams and evaluating population status and trends of Great Basin and Malheur River redband trout. They came across the burning trailer while returning from a three day sampling trip on Rock Creek. 

The mission of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is to protect and enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations. The agency consists of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, a commission-appointed director and a statewide staff of approximately 950 permanent employees. Headquartered in Salem, ODFW has regional offices in Clackamas, Roseburg, Bend, and La Grande with ten district offices located throughout the state. For additional information, please visit www.dfw.state.or.us.