MILLSTONE TWP., Pa. (EYT) – Authorities say a firefighter and a U.S. Forest Service member were transported to a local hospital for evaluation on Wednesday after numerous units battled a wildfire in Elk County for over 13 hours.
According to a Jefferson County 9-1-1 dispatcher, the blaze broke out around 12:41 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, near River Road, in Millstone Township, Elk County.
Multiple units from Jefferson, Elk, Clearfield, Clarion, and Forest Counties battled the fire, the dispatcher said.
“We had units on standby, even for departments in and around (the fire) that were already up there. They were switching out because the guys were getting tired,” the dispatcher explained.
Planes were also called in to assist with controlling the flames.
According to the dispatcher, one firefighter was transported to a nearby hospital for “elevated vitals,” while a member of the U.S. Forestry Service was transported for a medical evaluation.
No further information on the individuals was available.
The majority of the units cleared the scene around 2:19 a.m., the dispatcher said.
At 6:30 a.m., Mahaffey Volunteer Fire Department was on standby at the scene. The department will continue to “monitor the situation” with the U.S. Forest Service on River Road, according to the dispatcher.
“(The fire) is not out, but we don’t know the status of it,” the dispatched added.
A call to the Allegheny National Forest office was not immediately returned.
According to a Jefferson County 9-1-1 dispatcher, the fire stretched up to approximately 1,900 acres as of 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 13.
