US report predicts broad risk of COVID-19 at wildfire camps

By REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – A federal document says outbreaks of the coronavirus could sweep through large camps where crews typically stay as they fight wildfires across the U.S. A U.S. Forest Service draft risk assessment obtained by The Associated Press predicts that even in a best-case scenario, nearly two dozen firefighters could be infected at a camp with hundreds of people. The worst-case scenario? More than 1,000 infections. Forest Service officials say the document is outdated and being redone. One of its authors says the infection rates won’t change. But the Colorado State University professor says the death rate among infected firefighters is being revised sharply downward to reflect newer data. The draft had said it could reach as high as 6%.

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