Firefighter injured while fighting wildfire in North Idaho

A firefighter from Boise is facing life-threatening injuries after an accident occurred in North Idaho battling a wildfire. 

Justin “Riley” Shaw, a 26-year-old assistant crew foreman, was working on the Coffee Can Saddle Fire that recently started in the Salmon River Ranger District in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. A falling tree struck him at about 10 p.m. Saturday, the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release Monday. 

Shaw was flown by helicopter to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston before being taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, according to the release. 

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured firefighter, as well as their affected family, friends, and co-workers,” the Forest Service said in its release, which asked for “patience and understanding during this difficult time.” 

A GoFundMe fundraiser set up for Shaw had raised more than $14,000 as of Monday afternoon. The account described Shaw as a “dedicated wildland firefighter and proud Christian born and raised in Idaho,” and it said he had suffered a “traumatic brain injury as well as several broken bones.”

Shaw will be in the hospital’s intensive care unit for the foreseeable future, according to the GoFundMe page. 

“We are asking for any donations that can go towards taking the financial stress off his family while they are traveling back and forth from Boise, Idaho, to Spokane, Washington, to be with Riley for as long as he is in the hospital, which will be months,” Courtney Shaw, the creator of the GoFundMe, wrote on the account. 

Acting Forest Supervisor Molly Ryan said the “quick actions” of other firefighters, dispatch and local first responders helped make sure Shaw got the “best care possible.” 

“Justin and his family have the full support of the wildland firefighting community and our Forest Service staff,” Ryan said in the news release.