OR District Chief to 'Vigilante Firefighters': It's Dangerous

As wildfire season ramps up, Oregon fire service officials are speaking out against "vigilante firefighting," which is when untrained civilians battle blazes alongside or without trained firefighters.

"Anyone who thinks they can go out the next time the lightning strikes in the Kalmiopsis might find that it’s not as easy as it sounds,” said Rural Metro Fire District Chief Austin Prince told KOTI-TV.

He said the practice can be dangerous and irresponsible. In fact, vigilante firefighters can create additional—and unnecessary—peril for actual firefighters battling fries.

“Firefighters on scene, they’re going to try and rescue you,”  Brian Ballou, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry, told KOI. “They’re going to try and put you out of that bad way, that bad spot, even though you put yourself in it.”