JACKSON, Wyo. — A local firefighter that was injured during the Memorial Day fire in Teton Pines has been released from the hospital.
Jackson Hole Fire/EMS announced Thursday afternoon that firefighter Charlie Crotteau had been released from St. John’s Health following surgery on a fractured left leg. Crotteau responded to the Monday morning fire and had been trying to access the burning roof less than an hour after suppression efforts began, around 4:20 a.m. According to a news release from JH Fire/EMS, he fell approximately 20 feet from the platform of a ladder truck, and a mayday call was initiated.
The statement says that a rapid intervention crew and firefighter witnesses reached Crotteau and provided aid on the ground outside the burning building. Crotteau’s lower leg injury was stabilized by medical personnel on scene, and he was transported via ambulance to St. John’s Health. He underwent surgery for fractures in his left leg.
“There has been overwhelming support from fellow firefighters, family, and friends,” Deputy Fire Chief Brian Coe said in the statement. “Charlie has been in good spirits and is prepared for a long road to recovery.”
Crotteau has been a volunteer with JH Fire/EMS at downtown Jackson’s Station 1 since 2023. The last mayday call for the fire department happened in 2016, when a firefighter suffered non-life-threatening injuries during a structure fire.
There is no suspicion of criminal activity related to the origin of the fire, according to fire investigators from the Wyoming State Fire Marshal’s Office. The fire is believed to have started within the floor assembly between the first and second stories. JH Fire/EMS stated that interviews with occupants and neighbors indicate that the fire could have started on Sunday between 6 p.m. and midnight.
“The initial call to dispatch reported a strong odor of gas or burnt plastic near the Teton Pines Clubhouse, prompting dispatch to page units for a possible gas leak,” reads the statement. “Medic 60 and Engine 61 from Station 6 arrived at 3:11 a.m. and observed haze in the parking lot before locating smoke and flames coming from an office building across from the Teton Pines Clubhouse. The incident was upgraded to a full structure fire response at 3:21 a.m.”
All six JH Fire/EMS stations and the Teton Village Fire Department fought the fire through the morning, and control was established around 10 a.m. Crews remained on scene until 7:30 p.m., and Battalion Chief Chris Stiehl stayed overnight to monitor for flare-ups — none were found. The building has been deemed a total loss.
“We are incredibly grateful that no additional injuries occurred during this complex and fast-moving incident, and we’re relieved to see Charlie on the road to recovery,” Coe said. “Our crews, along with our partner agencies, worked through the early morning to control the fire under difficult conditions, and unfortunately, the building could not be saved. We know this loss is deeply felt by the Teton Pines community and by those who had offices in the building, and our thoughts are with everyone impacted.”
