4 Porter firefighters return home after spending more than 3 weeks battling wildfires in California

HOUSTON – Four firefighters from Porter have returned home after spending more than three weeks battling wildfires in California.

Brandon Shafer, Joseph Sullivan, Ryan Johnson and Stephen Sever arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

The crew worked on multiple fires in California, mainly trying to stop them from spreading further.

“We were in a lot of areas where we didn’t get as much intense fire but we did see some in some of the other divisions and things along those lines,” Lt. Shafer said.

The firefighters initially drove out west, which took about two days, and quickly got to work.

“Pretty much drove until one o’clock in the morning both days, showed up and we got checked into our first fire when we got there,” Shafer said.

They were happy to be able to lend a hand.

“It feels good to be able to help out any way I can,” Johnson said.

The firefighters are looking forward to spending time with their families and said they would make the trip again, if needed.


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