On Tuesday, it was reported by the Associated Press that a firefighter was critically injured while battling a wildfire on private land in southwestern New Mexico near the U.S.-Mexico border, state officials said Tuesday.
“The firefighter works for the U.S. Forest Service and was injured Monday while fighting a fire in the Animas Mountains in Hidalgo County, the Forestry Division of the state Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department said in a statement,” the AP writes.
Although the identity of the firefighter was not released, “division spokeswoman Wendy Mason said during a telephone interview that the firefighter is a member of an elite hotshots crew but that information on how the firefighter was injured wasn’t immediately available.”
According to a statement from the Forest Service, the firefighter was in critical condition Tuesday at a hospital in El Paso, Texas.
“The fire had burned 350 acres in very rugged terrain along the Continental Divide and its case was under investigation,” reported the AP.
Once more details are released, this report will be updated.