Firefighter for Washington firm killed in Oregon, another injured
Mount Washington Wilderness in Oregon. (Photo: tumblr.com/Allthingsoregon)
SISTERS, Ore. (KPTV) – A firefighter working for a Bonney Lake, Wash., company was killed and another injured by a falling tree Thursday as they were battling a fire caused by a lightning storm in central Oregon.
The firefighters worked for R&K Water Services out of Bonney Lake, Wash., the U.S. Forest Service said. Authorities didn't release their names.
A Forest Service spokesman said one of the men was from Redmond, Ore., and the other was from Sisters, Ore.
Forest Service officials said firefighters were battling the fire in the Mount Washington Wilderness, near the town of Sisters, about 154 miles southeast of Portland.
While tree fallers were working to suppress the fire, a falling snag killed one of the firefighters and injured another.
Rappel crews and a helicopter rushed to the accident scene. The injured firefighter was taken to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Ore. There's no word yet on his or her condition.
About 40 small fires were reported along the Cascade crest and Central Oregon on Thursday morning.