A fund has been set up for Daniel Lyon and his family at Farmers State Bank to help the family with expenses after Daniel was seriously burned while fighting a fire in Washington State.
Four firefighters battling the Twisp River fire in Washington State were apparently involved in some sort of vehicle accident that took the vehicle off the road. Three of the firefighters died when flames overtook the vehicle. The fourth firefighter, a young man from Stevensville, Montana, miraculously walked away.
The U.S. Forest Service identified the dead as 20-year-old Tom Zbyszewski, 26-year-old Andrew Zajac, and 31-year-old Richard Wheeler. The young man who survived, 25-year-old Daniel Lyon, was burned over 60% of his body. He was taken to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center where he remained in critical condition until Monday when his status was downgraded to serious.
The young man’s father and mother Dan and Barbara Lyon live in Stevensville. Dan was with his son on Monday at the hospital when he came out of surgery. He said Daniel’s status had been reduced from critical to serious. He said the ventilator had been removed, allowing Daniel to speak, but that he was a bit delirious.
“He’s making progress,” said Dan. “There are some infections. He has a long way to go.”
Dan said that his son Daniel was a reserve police officer in Milton, near Tacoma, and that this was his first time on the fire lines as a Forest Service firefighter. He said he and his wife Barbara are extremely grateful for everyone’s concern and prayers.
The nearby towns of Twisp and Winthrop were subsequently evacuated as the fire raged in that direction. It is considered part of the Okanogan Complex which is the largest fire in the history of the state.