Officials report on firefighter death on Mendocino Complex
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Fire and law enforcement officials held a brief press conference late Monday to address the death of a firefighter on the lines of the Mendocino Complex earlier in the day.
Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, which hold unified command on the complex, were joined by other officials including Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman and Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin at the Ukiah command center.
During the three-minute press conference, officials confirmed the death of a male firefighter from Utah while working on an active portion of the Ranch fire, the largest of the two fires in the Mendocino Complex.
The Ranch fire on Monday night reached 300,970 acres; the overall complex has burned 349,890 acres, Cal Fire reported.
Radio reports from the Ranch fire lines on Monday evening stated that a male firefighter was injured by a falling tree shortly before 5:30 p.m., as Lake County News has reported.
A medivac unit was directed to respond to Drop Point 15, located several miles southwest of Lake Pillsbury, to pick up the firefighter, who was unconscious. Other fire personnel did cardiopulmonary resuscitation in order to revive him, according to radio reports.
Fire officials on Monday night did not offer any details about the incident location or precisely what occurred.
“There’s a lot of information that’s still being learned as we go through this tragedy,” said Cal Fire spokesman Jeremy Rahn.
Chief Sean Kavanaugh of Cal Fire Incident Management Team 2 confirmed that the firefighter was airlifted to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.
“We are extremely heartbroken for this loss,” said Kavanaugh, who added, “We are dedicated to investigating what happened.”
He said they are mourning their fellow firefighter’s loss as they continue to battle California’s largest wildland fire, which is burning in extremely steep and remote terrain.
Allman reminded community members that there are areas of the fire that are under mandatory evacuation – and are very dangerous – where some people haven’t yet left.
He urged everyone to heed those mandatory evacuation orders, adding, “If this could happen to a firefighter, it certainly could happen to citizens.”
“Today’s events are definitely a tragedy. They’re not expected, they’re not wanted, but they’re a stark reminder of how dangerous this career is,” said Martin, who thanked firefighters for their efforts.
Two other firefighters had previously been injured while working on the Mendocino Complex, according to Cal Fire.
The 2018 fire season has been a deadly one for firefighters and heavy equipment operators. The Monday death on the Mendocino Complex is added to two firefighters who died on the Ferguson fire, a firefighter and equipment operator killed by the Carr fire, and the death last week of Cal Fire mechanic Andrew Brake of Chico, assigned to the Carr fire, who died in a vehicle crash, as Lake County News has reported.
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