74-year-old pilot dies working Falls Fire in Oregon

Firefighting pilot killed while working to contain Oregon wildfire

A pilot was killed while working to contain a wildfire in Oregon.

GRANT COUNTY, Ore. - James Bailey Maxwell has died while working in the vicinity of the Falls Fire wildfire, officials in Grant County, Oregon confirm on Sunday.

Maxwell, 74, died on Friday, July 25. He was a single engine air tanker pilot.

"The Maxwell family and firefighters are grateful for the support being expressed throughout the community and online. Services have not been announced at this time and the family asks for privacy while they mourn," said the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on July 28.

"The wildland firefighting community is mourning the loss of one of their own…James was an experienced pilot who had spent 54 years of his life flying and who had logged approximately 24,000 hours of flight time. He is survived by and will be missed by family members in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

A single engine airtanker, or SEAT, is the smallest airtanker in the fire suppression fleet. These highly-maneuverable aircraft can deliver up to 800 gallons of fire retardant or water to wildland firefighters on the ground," representatives with Grant County Emergency Management said, in part, Sunday. Full post available on their Facebook page.