Help a Lifelong Wildland Firefighter Rebuild After the Hawk Fire

For most of his life, Tye Erwin has been the person people count on when everything is on fire.

As a former smokejumper, lifelong wildland firefighter, and current Battalion Chief on the Bridgeport Ranger District, he has dedicated his career to protecting people, communities, forests, and the places we call home. He has spent countless days and nights away from his own family, working long hours in extreme conditions, running toward danger when most people are running away from it.

He has answered that call for others time and time again.

Now, he needs us to answer the call for him.

The Hawk Fire in Reno, Nevada, took his home from him. In a matter of hours, the place that held years of memories, personal belongings, and the comforts of home was gone.

For a firefighter who has spent a lifetime helping others pick up the pieces after disaster, experiencing that devastation personally is something no one should have to face alone.

This fundraiser is about more than replacing a house.

It’s about helping a man who has dedicated his life to serving others find some stability while he begins the incredibly difficult process of rebuilding his life.

The road ahead will be long. There will be temporary housing, replacing necessities, clothing, personal belongings, transportation, unexpected expenses, and eventually figuring out what comes next. Many of the things lost can be replaced, but the memories and pieces of a lifetime that disappeared in the fire cannot.

What we can replace is the feeling that he is facing this alone.

The wildland fire community is built on a simple principle:

We take care of our own.

Crews become family. Firefighters stand shoulder-to-shoulder through the worst conditions imaginable. When one person goes down, everyone else steps forward.

That’s what we’re asking for now.

If you’ve worked with him, jumped with him, rode a crew with him, fought fire beside him, learned from him, called him a friend, or simply respect the sacrifice that firefighters make every day, please consider helping.

Every donation matters. Whether it’s $10, $50, $100, or more, your contribution will help provide the immediate support he needs and give him a foundation to begin rebuilding.

And if you’re unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser is just as valuable. Help us reach the people across the fire community who know exactly what it means to lose everything and understand why we don’t leave our people behind.

He has spent his career showing up for others.

Now it’s our turn to show up for him.

Let’s surround him with the same strength, loyalty, and support that he has given to so many others throughout his career.

He spent a lifetime running toward the fire.

Now let’s help him rebuild after it.