County firefighter recovering after chain saw explosion
Golden Fire accident on June 21 under investigation
A Santa Fe County firefighter is recovering from burns to the face, neck and arm suffered while fighting the Golden Fire near the community of San Pedro, county Fire Chief David Sperling said Wednesday.
Edi Marquez, 22, a member of the county’s wildland firefighting team, was burned June 21 after removing the gas cap of his chain saw, which had stopped working, Sperling said. Marquez thought the saw might have stopped because it was out of gas or because of a vapor lock, the chief said.
The gas from the chain saw, under high pressure from apparently boiling, exploded out of the chain saw, splashing Marquez and then igniting, Sperling said.
The firefighter suffered secondand third-degree burns, the chief said. His face and neck are healing without surgery, but an arm required a skin graft.
Marquez was at the University of New Mexico Hospital for about a week, Sperling said. When he initially returns to the department, it will be to perform light duty, the chief said.
“I know he’s anxious to get back,” Sperling said, but he added that doctors will make the final call on when Marquez returns.
Sperling said the accident that injured Marquez was bizarre and that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the state Forestry Division are investigating what caused the gas in the chain saw to explode. The Golden Fire, which forced the evacuations of homes and burned about 5 acres, was on BLM land near the intersection of N.M. 14 and N.M. 344 in southern Santa Fe County.
Marquez’s helmet, glasses and protective clothing helped shield him from the burning gas, the chief said. “It could have been significantly worse,” he said. The temperature reached about 102 degrees on the day of the fire, and the high temperature may have contributed to the gas explosion, he said.
A gofundme.com page has been created to try to raise $10,000 in financial support for Marquez. As of Wednesday afternoon, $2,745 had been contributed.
In addition to working as a wildland firefighter, Marquez assists in medical calls as a volunteer in the Agua Fría Fire District, Sperling said.