A Western Pennsylvania firefighter was hit by a falling tree and airlifted to the hospital, according to the fire department.
WPXI reports that a tree fell on a firefighter who was battling a fire Friday, November 8, 2024, in Amwell Township in Washington County.
“A South Strabane Firefighter was struck by a falling tree while working a brush fire in Amwell Township,” the South Strabane Fire Department wrote on Facebook. “The Firefighter sustained a head injury and was transported to UPMC Presby via medical helicopter. Further information will be released at a later time. Please – stop burning until it is safe to do so.”
The fire was reported in the woods Friday afternoon, CBS Pittsburgh reported. Because of drought conditions, officials are urging citizens to stop burning material.
A sustained drought across the U.S. has also seen historic dryness in the Mid Atlantic, sparking numerous brush and forest fires in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut as well as points in the Northeast. In October, a firefighter in Connecticut, Robert Sharkevich Sr. of Wethersfield, was killed went an ATV rolled over during operations at the Berlin brush fire.
