Updated: Firefighter injured in Grass Valley Fire "doing very well"

Okanogan County Fire District 8 firefighter Brett Read, 38, was injured while fighting the Grass Valley Fire in Douglas County Saturday.

Read and another firefighter were attempting to leave their work area when the fire behavior unexpectedly intensified, Fire District 8 Chief Ed Townsend said in a statement. Read became separated from the engine he was working on and suffered burns during the incident.

The second firefighter on Read’s engine was not injured.

Read was taken to Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, and later airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was admitted to the burn unit and is currently listed in satisfactory condition.

Douglas County Fire District 3 Chief Dale Rinker said Monday that Read had suffered second-degree burns and is “doing very well.”

Townsend said Read has been a volunteer firefighter with the district for seven years. Read resides in the Omak area with his wife and three children.

The Grass Valley fire started at approximately 11 a.m. on Aug. 11. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

UPDATE:

A gofundme.com site started two days ago to help with Read's expenses has raised $6,424 in two days from 127 donors.

The site was started by Tara Norris, of Okanogan, who reported Aug. 17 that he'd undergone a new procedure:

"Yesterday was a day that Brett will never want to ever do again," she wrote. "We wont go into detail but he had a really big procedure that wiped him on his butt. Now to get him back to being himself. Still no update from the doctors they want to see what to see how his body will regenerate."