Firefighters walk near fire hoses set up to protect homes and cabins threatened by the Lava Fire near Lake Cascade on Sept. 11. (Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun)
LAVA FIRE, BOISE NATIONAL FOREST – One of the last things U.S. Army Capt. Bison Carcelli did before wrapping up his 30-day mission helping fight wildfires in Idaho was haul hoses up and down mountain roads to protect evacuated homes near Lake Cascade.
Since Aug. 19, about 250 U.S. Army soldiers from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion and 117th Infantry Battalion based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington have been helping fight a series of wildfires burning near Cascade .
Carcelli, who had never fought a wildfire before, said he loved the entire assignment and learning new skills. But he said it was especially important serving as a last line of defense helping protect people’s homes and property they love.
“It’s just been super exciting being able to have something completely different from our normal job,” Carcelli told the Idaho Capital Sun on Wednesday. “Everyone thinks about how we go overseas to defend our country, but it’s been great to have an impact on home, like back here in the United States. So I think that, for me, has been the coolest aspect.”