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Fifty members of Congress, including several Washington Democrats, are calling on the Department of Homeland Security for answers after two crew members fighting the Bear Gulch fire were arrested by immigration officials.

Two people fighting the fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement Wednesday, as depicted in photos and videos. The two firefighters had entered the U.S. illegally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday in a news release.

The 9,200-acre wildfire is one of Washington’s largest. The crews, pictured wearing protective clothing and hard hats common on fire lines, were part of the 300-person effort to contain the fire, which started July 6 about 10 miles northwest of Hoodsport, Mason County.

“The two arrests and dozens of firefighters temporarily sidelined during an active wildfire raise questions about the priorities and (judgment) exercised by federal agencies,” reads the letter, spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Emily Randall. Randall’s congressional district includes the Olympic Peninsula, where the fire is burning.

The lawmakers specifically seek clarification on Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies regarding arrests in disaster areas. The letter claims standard emergency protocols “shield first responders” who are working in hazardous conditions from ICE. The lawmakers say those protocols weren’t followed.

“The arrest of these hardworking crew members, who put their lives on the line to perform lifesaving duties, is not making our communities safer, no matter the rhetoric you use on TV,” the lawmakers said. “The Trump Administration’s thoughtless and cruel immigration enforcement at any cost undermines coordinated emergency response efforts.”

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