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Firefighters contain Rainbow Mountain wildfire
A fire and command truck with Madison Fire & Rescue are parked on Rainbow Mountain, where crews worked to control a wildfire overnight on Nov. 18. CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – Firefighters with Madison Fire & Rescue Department battled and successfully contained a wildfire on Rainbow Mountain during the overnight hours of Nov. 18.
All crew personnel with the fire department’s B-Shift operated at the wildfire. Firefighters were required to exert hours of strenuous work with extinguishers, rakes, flaps and chainsaws.
They built one extremely long line of fire hoses up the mountain, a department spokesperson said. These crews operated from 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 through the night to 6 a.m. on Nov. 19. The Madison crew was the only unit to report to the fire, which involved difficult terrain on Rainbow Mountain and hampered visibility at night.
After hiking up and around sections of the mountain, the crews worked with chainsaws and water extinguishers. One firefighter was transported to the hospital for weakness and dehydration overnight on Nov. 18 night. Fortunately, the firefighter had no major injuries.
The steep terrain caused treacherous walking as the firefighters carried equipment and gear. On Nov. 19, crews with C-Shift reported to Rainbow Mountain for a few hours after the department received a second telephone call about a fire that was still burning in the area.
Several homeowners in the Rainbow Mountain neighborhood called the fire station after watching the crews work to control the wildfire. These residents thanked all of the fire department employees for their hard work and for stopping the fire before it reached the base of the mountain where several houses line the area, a spokesperson said.
Back at their stations, C-Shift crews have been cleaning hose, breaking down and cleaning chainsaws, replacing chains, refueling equipment and confirming all department apparatus and tools are 100-percent ready for responses throughout the upcoming week.
Fire department managers congratulated the crew for their excellent work at this potentially dangerous fire and their daily commitment to keep Madison citizens safe.
For more information, visit Facebook/Madison Fire & Rescue.
