Mariah Paz is used to facing tough opponents, but this summer, the Evergreen State College wrestler has been taking on something very different: wildfires. Paz, 21, is a junior on Evergreen’s women’s wrestling team and works as a wildland firefighter. The job can turn dangerous quickly.

Paz remembers being down in a canyon when fire started closing in from both directions. She was with the owner of the firefighting company she works for. She did not want to admit she was scared. But she was. “I didn’t want to seem like I was scared, but I was scared,” Paz said. “I was like, ‘I think I need to come out. It’s getting hot in here.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, come out.’”

Paz said that is part of the job too. Knowing when a situation is no longer safe. Other days are less dramatic, but still exhausting. Crews may spend hours waiting for direction. Then suddenly they are hauling hose up steep hills and mountains, cutting fire line, or protecting homes.

“We’re cutting line in with the hand crew, which is like being right there in the fire,” Paz said. “Or we’re spraying down 100-foot flames on trees and protecting houses.”

KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

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