Two contract firefighters on the front lines of Washington state's largest active wildfire found themselves in handcuffs on Wednesday after a surprise visit from federal agents. The exact reasons for the arrests remain murky, with officials tight-lipped and no explanation provided by Border Patrol, ICE, or Homeland Security, per the Seattle Times and Daily Beast. The Incident Management Team leading the response to the Bear Gulch blaze on the Olympic Peninsula acknowledged the presence of border agents but said firefighting efforts weren't disrupted. The confrontation unfolded as two contractor crews, part of a 400-person response, worked to cut wood for the local community near Lake Cushman, per the Times.
Firefighters on the scene said federal officers arrived around 9:30am, ordered the crews to line up, and began checking IDs. Those present said they were instructed not to record the incident. One firefighter told the Times that he asked if he could say goodbye to the detained men, as they're all "family" to each other, and was told to "get the [expletive] out of here" and "I'm gonna make you leave." A firefighter added: "You risked your life out here to save the community. This is how they treat us." The policy under the Biden administration was that federal agents would only conduct operations at emergency sites under "exigent circumstances," but the Trump administration appears to have abandoned that. As of Wednesday morning, the Bear Gulch fire had scorched nearly 9,000 acres and was just 13% contained.
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