$45,000 of equipment stolen from Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest hotshot firefighters
Thieves stole an estimated $45,000 in wild land firefighting equipment from the U.S. Forest Service Hotshot Compound near Concrete in December, according to a Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest news release.
The Forest Service is now asking for the public’s help in getting the vital equipment back and bringing the thieves to justice.
The equipment was stolen the weekend of Dec. 18-21 from the Koma Kulshan Guard Station, which is the home base of the Baker River Hotshot Crew, a highly-trained fire suppression crew founded in 1976. The 20- to 22-person crew spends summers battling large, high-priority forest fires across the U.S., and when needed responds to other emergencies, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Multiple people are suspected of the theft, according to the release.
“It was a difficult year, a very hot and hard fire season, and the Baker River Hotshot Crew needs your help in preparing for what may be a very dangerous fire season in 2021!” the release states.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to email the U.S. Forest Service at SM.FS.mbs_pao@usda.gov, call the Mount Baker Ranger District at 360-856-5700 or contact any local law enforcement agency.
