Wrestler on the Front Lines | Seattle News

Seattle News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 26, 2026 · 2m

Twenty-one-year-old Mariah Paz, a junior wrestler at Evergreen State College, is swapping the mat for wildfire front lines this summer—becoming one of three wrestlers turned wildland firefighters. Trapped in a canyon with flames closing in, she faced terror but made the disciplined call to retreat, embodying the same grit she hones in wrestling. Her days involve grueling waits and intense labor—hauling hoses up steep hills, cutting fire lines, and battling towering flames—all while proving herself in a male-dominated field. As a mother to her three-year-old son and pursuing a degree in child…