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A volunteer fire department near Barstow is closed after one of its volunteers tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, San Bernardino County officials announced Tuesday, April 7.
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In a news release, the county’s Incident Management Team reported it learned Monday evening that a member of the Daggett Volunteer Fire Department had tested positive for the disease Sunday, a few days after exhibiting symptoms. Daggett is an unincorporated community about 10 miles east of Barstow.
The Community Services District board decided in an emergency meeting to suspend operations of the 10-person volunteer fire department, which services 25 square miles including the Barstow/Daggett airport and a portion of Interstate 40. The Yermo/Calico Volunteer Fire Department and the Marine Corps Logistics Base Fire Department will service the area in the interim, the county announced.
By midday Monday, San Bernardino County has reported five confirmed cases of COVID-19 among firefighters in the region, including the case in Daggett. Countywide, 530 confirmed cases had been reported by midday Monday.
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