Firefighter heads home 3 months after deadly blaze

His face is scarred, he’s missing the tips of all 10 fingers and still faces a long and difficult recovery.

But the young firefighter who survived last summer’s deadly Twisp River blaze thanked family, friends and the community Wednesday for helping him pull through.

Daniel Lyon Jr. spoke publicly for the first time since the accident that killed three others in the midst of Washington state’s worst fire season on record.

“This accident was a true tragedy, but it’s brought out what’s good in the world,” said the 25-year-old Puyallup resident and reserve Milton police officer.

Lyon was discharged from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Wednesday, nearly three months to the day after the Aug. 19 accident. He and three fellow firefighters were driving up a steep gravel road and crashed over a 40-foot embankment before they were overtaken by fire.

Killed in the crash were Richard Wheeler, 31; Andrew Zajac, 26; and Tom Zbyszewski, 20, who died of smoke inhalation and burns, according to a coroner’s report.

It was the worst fatal wildfire incident in Washington since four firefighters were killed in the Thirtymile fire in the nearby Chewuch River Canyon in July 2001.

“It’s hard for me to believe myself that I’m here today,” Lyon said, calling Aug.19 “the scariest day of my life.”

Of his fallen colleagues, Lyon said, “Those guys are the reason I’m here today. Those guys were truly brothers to me.”

Lyon, who suffered similar injuries, endured 11 surgeries, including several skin grafts. The tips of his fingers had to be amputated because his hands were so badly burned, said Dr. Nicole Gibran, director of the burn center.

“Through this whole journey, the mental part of this is tougher than anything,” Lyon said. “Those guys are in my mind on a constant basis.”

He has scarring on his face, arms and legs from the skin grafts taken from his torso, back and scalp, she said. He also suffers from contractures, a condition in which muscles shorten and harden, limiting movement.

On Wednesday, Lyon wore a baseball hat, black jacket and gloves over his hands, at times appearing a bit nervous before the cameras and reporters.

Lyon spent two months in the intensive care unit of the University of Washington Medicine Burn Center at Harborview and another month in regular care. The surgeries helped heal the third-degree burns that covered nearly 70 percent of his body.

Lyon faces more treatment, including reconstructive surgeries and physical therapy, Gibran said. “A long road ahead,” as she described it in an interview.

“He’s going to be doing exercises all day, every day, for the next four to six months,” she said.

For 23 hours a day, he’s instructed to wear a custom-made mask and elasticized clothing that put pressure on scars to keep them from getting worse.

But he’s “right on target,” to improve — and to overcome his injuries, Gibran said. Being young, healthy and very fit helps. His mental outlook is good, too, she said. He remembers some things about the accident, and not others, she added.

“I would not want to say that there is anything that he will not be able to do, if he puts his mind to it,” she added.

Lyon said he felt stiff but the pain wasn’t too bad. He said he couldn’t wait to get home to see his dog, Ozar, and to get outside more.

Not being independent will be hard, he said, explaining that, “right now, my hands are my biggest struggle.”

His parents, Dan and Barbara Lyon of Puyallup, joined him at the press conference. They said they were pleased to finally see their son go home.

“He’s taught us that anything is possible,” said Dan Lyon Sr. “With hard work, anything’s possible.”

The younger Lyon has been flooded with well-wishes, including cards, letters and emails from people in Washington and beyond. When he was in the intensive care unit visits were limited to family to help prevent infections, which can be deadly to burn patients.

“I can’t climb mountains, but I can climb hills,” he told reporters. “It felt great walking outside today, feeling the fresh air.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Firefighter heads home 3 months after deadly blaze."