The Park Fire has now consumed over 300,000 acres in Northern California, and is threatening the entire town of Paradise, which lost dozens of residents to the Camp Fire in 2018.
HINES, Ore. – A pilot operating an air tanker has died following efforts to contain a lightning-sparked wildfire in eastern Oregon, officials with the U.S. Forest Service said Friday.
The wreckage of the single-engine plane was found near the Falls Fire, and the pilot was reported to have been the sole occupant on board.
Authorities have not specified what they believe led to the crash, but the wreckage was discovered in a forested, mountainous area of the Malheur National Forest.
Photo of the Falls Fire in eastern Oregon.
(Inciweb / FOX Weather)
“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the death of a member of the wildland firefighter community following the conclusion of search efforts for a BLM-contracted single-engine airtanker (SEAT),” the USFS stated in a joint news release.
The Falls Fire is one of at least five blazes that have grown to 100,000 acres or larger across the state.
More than 1,500 personnel have been assigned to attempt to contain the wildfire which was started on July 10.
CALIFORNIA’S PARK FIRE NOW AMONG LARGEST IN STATE HISTORY AS EVACUATION ORDERS SPREAD
The pilot’s death marked the second occurrence of a firefighter being killed in a plane crash in recent weeks.
Earlier in the month, a pilot was reported to have died while battling a fire outside of Helena, Montana.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating both plane crashes, which could take several months to figure out exactly what went wrong.
According to data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, six firefighters are killed in aviation accidents every year across the country during what are considered to be critical phases of wildfire suppression.
Between 2000 and 2013, engine failure and loss of control were the leading causes of fatal plane crashes.
SEE IT: OREGON NOW BATTLING COUNTRY’S LARGEST ‘MEGAFIRE’
Oregon and much of the West are experiencing an uptick in fire activity due to decreasing soil moisture and extreme heat waves.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, nearly 3.8 million acres have burned across the country, with firefighters battling around 100 large blazes.
The Park Fire is the largest wildfire of the year and has consumed more than 300,000 acres in Northern California. At least 134 structures have been destroyed, and more than 4,000 people have been evacuated due to the fire’s rapid spread outside of Chico. Local officials stated that the fire was human-caused and arrested a local resident for pushing a car off an embankment on July 25.
A cool, damp weekend is expected to help firefighters increase containment lines around the blaze before drier, windier weather returns during the upcoming workweek.
Top 10 largest California fires.
(FOX Weather)