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UPDATE: 5:43 p.m.) Kern County Fire said that 19-year-old Ethan Sanders has been released from the hospital following injuries sustained from a rock rolling down hill while he was fighting the Water Fire.
KCFD said that he is being treated and is OK, according to his mother.
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His mother, Misty Sanders, spoke to 23ABC on Thursday and said her son, 19-year-old Ethan Sanders is recovering at a local hospital.
She said he suffered six broken ribs, had blood in his lungs and needed seven staples in his head.
Ethan Sanders was injured Wednesday when a rock came down a mountain side and struck him. She said he was knocked unconscious.
He was transported by a helicopter to a hospital in Bakersfield.
WATCH: Injured firefighter transported by helicopter
"He's going to be OK. It's going to be a long road to recovery," Misty Sanders said.
She said Ethan is very bruised up and is having a hard time moving, but he is awake.
