While fighting wildfires in Harper County, Chris Campbell suffered second- and third-degree burns to his arms and hands after his firetruck overturned and plunged into a canyon.
While fighting wildfires in Harper County, Chris Campbell suffered second- and third-degree burns to his arms and hands after his firetruck overturned and plunged into a canyon.
After narrowly escaping death, Campbell was transported to the INTEGRIS Health Paul Silverstein Burn Center in Oklahoma City, to receive the lifesaving care he needed. He is thankful to be alive.
Campbell will be celebrated at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark Saturday, Sept. 12 as the INTEGRIS Health “Home Run For Life” series concludes for the 2026 season.
In Feb. 2026, Campbell began another day as a volunteer firefighter, a role he had held for the past 12 years. The weather changed quickly as the day progressed. “Beginning of the day, it was pretty calm and it seemed like it was a snap of the fingers and the wind came,” Campbell remembers.
He met up with two other firefighters to grab the last truck at his station. The team began evacuating farmers and their families when they found themselves in sudden danger after realizing they were deeper into the fire than they originally thought. “It just seemed like there was no fire and then suddenly there was fire crossing Highway 283,” Campbell recounts. “I was driving. I had Jake Edwards and Randy Masters on the back of the truck. I was trying to turn around and the truck was stuck. Everything kind of went south. I couldn't see anything, couldn't breathe and next thing I know, we were on a roll down the canyon.”
Being stuck in a firetruck that plunged down a 40-foot canyon, Campbell knew there was little time to think. “I did not want to die in that cabin. I knew if I could get out of the cab, I had a better chance.”
Knowing his escape options were limited, Campbell began to look for a way out. “Everything was disoriented. My first thought was to kick the windshield out and crawl out. That’s when the fire came in the cab. My next escape route was through the small sliding window between the two front seats. That was too hot to bear so I crawled back in,” explains Campbell. He was finally able to escape by crawling through the passenger side of the truck.
The other two men also escaped. Once they realized they had all survived the crash, they began to pray and thank God for getting them out of the canyon. “There's no other explanation than God got us out,” Campbell proclaims.
When help arrived at the scene, the men were transported out by ambulance. It was obvious that Campbell had sustained the most severe injuries. He lost consciousness on his way to Oklahoma City where he would spend the next 28 days at the INTEGRIS Health Paul Silverstein Burn Center inside INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center.
“We heard that a firetruck had wrecked and that there was an injury,” recalls William Nechtow, D.O., a critical care surgeon at INTEGRIS Health. “We worked together with our trauma colleagues to make sure we had identified all the major injuries. He did have third degree burns and we did have to do some skin grafting. During his multiple surgeries he did have significant blood loss requiring blood transfusions.”
“The doctors and nurses, hands down are the best in the world,” declares Campbell. “The hardest part of my recovery would honestly be not being as I was before. Finding new ways to do things, being in constant pain and just being different.” He says his wife, Brittney, gave him the strength to keep moving forward. “My wife is the strongest woman that I've ever known. She held me up when I couldn't hold them up.”
He adds, “My kids, my church family, the amount of support and love that I've gotten from all over the country has been mind-blowing.” But he insists it was faith that truly pulled him through. “Before the accident, I became a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. I believe wholeheartedly that if I didn't become a believer, I wouldn't be here today.”
Now back at home, Campbell is continuing to work towards normalcy in his life. His main goal is returning to his role as a volunteer firefighter. “It's a way for me in my mind to give back to the people that have given me and my family so much,” says Campbell. “I know getting back on that truck wouldn’t be possible without my care team at INTEGRIS Health.”
