Three Santa Fe firefighters tested positive for the novel coronavirus after helping to battle a wildfire near Chama in mid-July.
The three unnamed firefighters, who work with the city fire department’s Wildland Division, traveled together to and from the Chama area, fire officials said.
One firefighter tested positive after complaining of a fever, so the other two were tested and their results came back positive, Assistant Chief Philip Martinez said.
All three went into isolation. Two came off quarantine this week and one will finish Monday, Martinez said.
The three were the only wildland firefighters the city sent to Chama, and they went in the same vehicle — a practice the city avoids as much as possible in the pandemic, Martinez said.
Still, there’s no way to know for sure when or how they contracted the virus, he said.