We are saddened to share the identity of the crewmember we lost on Sunday. Randy Lupe, 62, of the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, died following a medical emergency. Lupe was a U.S. Wildland Fire Service temporary emergency support crewmember on the San Carlos camp crew, which was supporting federal wildfire response on the Frijoles Fire in New Mexico. This loss is felt deeply across the wildland firefighting community, and our thoughts are with all those affected.

Native American tribes are the original fire service, using Indigenous knowledge to protect and safeguard the lands they have stewarded since before colonization. Today, that knowledge and leadership remain vital to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service mission, helping defend and restore tribal trust lands from danger across Indian Country. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Division of Fire provides fire protection for Tribal, state, and private timbered lands within the reservation and answers the call across Indian Country. They provide critical resources like helitack crews, Type 6 engines, Type 2 Initial Attack crews, fire investigators, and incident management personnel in support of Tribal Nations, as well as federal, state, and local partners. Through strong partnerships with tribal fire programs, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service helps protect Tribal Trust lands while upholding the federal trust responsibility to Tribes. Together, we're building a stronger, more resilient wildland fire community. Videos by Michael Umphrey/CSKT

250 years of American grit. Proud to serve our nation. Proud to protect our landscapes and communities. Happy Independence Day from the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. Photo by Joe Bradshaw