2 Nevada firefighters hospitalized after suffering serious burns

BATTLE MOUNTAIN — Two volunteer Nevada firefighters remain hospitalized with severe burns they suffered when flames overran their fire engine as they responded to a wildfire that started after a helicopter crashed 15 miles north of Battle Mountain on Saturday.

The Sheep Creek fire has burned 89 square miles of sage brush and cheat grass since it started shortly after the Nevada Department of Wildlife helicopter went down Saturday afternoon.

It was estimated to be 50 percent contained on Tuesday.

The volunteer firefighters from Battle Mountain, identified Tuesday as Bart Negro and Damon Spring, were responding to the blaze when the fire engulfed their engine, leaving both with second- and third-degree burns.

Lander County Manager Keith Westengard said in a news release that Spring, 21, suffered burns on 14 percent of their body and Negro on 33 percent of his body.

Spring’s friends and family have set up a GoFundMe.com account in his name to “help him with his road to recovery,” it said.