"Firefighters who spoke to the Times did so based on the condition of anonymity because they fear retaliation by the federal government. You risked your life out here to save the community, one firefighter said. This is how they treat us. While waiting for their supervisor to arrive on Wednesday morning, the crews were confronted by federal law enforcement around 9:30 a.m. One of the firefighters told the Times they were instructed not to take video as they were asked to line up and present their IDs."
"In a FaceTime video call from the other firefighter to The Seattle Times, firefighters in their gear were seen sitting on logs in front of federal officers. Some firefighters were dismissed back to their vehicles. One firefighter attempted to walk over to his company vehicle to get something to drink and appeared to have been called back by federal officers."
Two firefighters were arrested while combating the Bear Gulch fire, which has consumed nearly 9,000 acres since July 6. The Incident Management Team acknowledged awareness of a Border Patrol operation and said it was not interfering with firefighting, directing inquiries to the Port Angeles Border Patrol station. Federal agents demanded IDs from members of two private contractor crews among roughly 400 personnel working to contain the blaze. Some firefighters spoke on condition of anonymity fearing federal retaliation and described being ordered not to record, lined up to present identification, and held in front of federal officers while others were dismissed back to vehicles.
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