TEXT OF STORY

TESS VIGELAND: Firefighters continue to battle blazes in remote areas across the West today. While most people flee big fires, a few entrepreneurs rush in to sell souvenirs. Rachael Myrow explains.

RACHAEL MYROW: For the last 17 years, Traveling T’s of Reno has sent a trailer out to major Western fires.

This week, at the massive Sawtooth blaze in California, the company’s been selling commemorative T-shirts to firefighters at a steady clip.

Christian West works the screen press.

CHRISTIAN WEST: We actually print them right here on site because guys can customize and get exactly what they want, and we don’t get stuck with shirts after the fire.

Craig Hallis, with the Rialto, California, Fire Department, says many of his colleagues collect the T-shirts as mementos.

CRAIG HALLIS: It’s a nostalgic piece, something to wear for the rest of your career that, you know, you were there and you made a difference, kind of thing.

Those who can’t shop mid-fire can still buy online.

In Los Angeles, I’m Rachael Myrow for Marketplace.