Brave teenage firefighters rise against the flames of the largest wildfire in Texas history as the blaze continues to devastate the panhandle’s land under critical weather conditions.
Nine young members of the Hoover Volunteer Fire Department, ages 14 to 17, have joined efforts to battle the inferno as only 15 percent of the fire has been brought under control nearly a week after it ignited on Monday .
Nathan Slater, a 15-year member of the team, knew he had to respond immediately to a page after his classes were suspended on Monday due to the fires.
‘It was the first time I was on fire. I was excited and nervous at the same time,” Slater said ABC news.
Two people died in the fire, which has already destroyed as much as 1.07 million hectares (1,700 square kilometers) of the panhandle.
Brave teenage firefighters stood up to the flames as the largest wildfire in Texas history continues to devastate the Panhandle country under critical firefighting conditions. Pictured: Nathan Slater (left) and Gage Hardman (right)
Nine young members of the Hoover Volunteer Fire Department, ages 14 to 17, have joined efforts to battle the inferno as only 15 percent of the fire has been brought under control nearly a week after it ignited on Monday . Pictured: Gage Hardman, third from left
Nine junior members were deployed to provide water and supplies to members who were in the field, hose down the fires, and cool the heated grass. Pictured: Nathan Slater (left) and Gage Hardman (right)
Nathan, who has been training and volunteering for several months, wasn’t the only teenage firefighter to answer the call.
Braxton Moler, another junior volunteer, said, “I said I had to help my community and I didn’t want my town to burn down.”
Gage Hardman, 15, who also stepped forward towards the fire, said: ‘When I first saw the page I was nervous and got a little rush of adrenaline at the same time.’
Together, nine junior members were deployed to provide water and supplies to those members who were in the field, hose down the fires, and cool the heated grass.
Each of the junior firefighters was paired with an experienced adult, who joined the tireless efforts to battle the flames that have forced thousands of people to evacuate.
Gage said he worked into the early morning hours for three days to help put out the flames.
“Once you got used to it, it wasn’t scary, it was more of a ‘get through it, you’ll be fine,’” he said.
The boys said they always looked out for each other to ensure everyone stayed safe during their shifts.
“When we go off the line… we’ll check on each other, see how we’re doing, give them water, if we have water, just check on them mentally and physically and just see how they’re feeling,” Kade Preston , 17, said.
“I feel like it’s relieved some of the nerves in my system. It meant to me knowing some of my friends were with me,” Gage added.
The week before brought a mix of joy, fear and pride for the families of the junior firefighters. Pictured from left to right: Christie Slater (Nathan’s mother), Nathan, Gage, Heather Brogan (Gage’s mother)
Gage Hardman, 15, who also stepped up to the fire, said: ‘When I first saw the page I was nervous and had a little adrenaline rush at the same time’
The wildfire, called the Smokehouse Creek Fire, has destroyed 1.07 million acres in Texas and 25,000 acres in Oklahoma, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
The fire is the size of all of Rhode Island and larger than the 20 largest wildfires in California in the past 90 years.
The week before brought a mix of joy, fear and pride for the families of the junior firefighters.
Gage’s mother, Heather Brogan, told DailyMail.com that the boys had worked tirelessly from Monday to Wednesday and had since been dismissed.
However, when the fire in Pampa flared up again on Saturday afternoon, they received another call to respond.
Brogen said: “He is a very brave young man in my eyes and I am so proud of his hard work. He is always ready and ready to leave at any time.”
“He has some really great guys around him. And so I think it was a good opportunity for him to learn what he wants to do when he grows up,” she added.
Gage’s mother, Heather Brogan, shared with DailyMail.com that the boys had worked tirelessly Monday through Wednesday and had since been fired
However, when the fire in Pampa flared up again on Saturday afternoon, they received another call to respond
The wildfire, called the Smokehouse Creek Fire, has destroyed 1.07 million acres in Texas and 25,000 acres in Oklahoma, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Pictured: An aerial view of the burned area in Stinnett, Texas, on Friday
Texas wildfires have collectively burned more than 1.1 million acres. An aerial photo shows Tuesday’s terrifying inferno
Christie Slater, Nathan’s mother, said: ‘I was quite shocked by the whole situation. So yeah, it takes a while to realize what your baby is actually doing when he’s putting out those fires.”
Tears welled in Slater’s eyes as she dropped her son off at the fire station on Monday and as he returned from his early Tuesday morning shift.
Nathan said: ‘It became devastating as it got closer and saw my parents evacuating while I stood in the background helping them.
“But I knew they were going to be safe and I knew I was going to be safe because I had everyone in the fire department around me,” he said.
“If your kids decide they want to join the Army or the Marines, or anything these days, it can all have negative consequences,” Brogen added.
“So just stay positive and support your children and let your child show the world that there is still hope and that our youth still exist and they don’t just go in the wrong direction.”