Firefighter dies in wildfire near Wenatchee
Sep 18, 2012, 11:33 AM | Updated: 12:39 pm
A firefighter assigned to a wildfire burning north of Wenatchee has died.
“This morning, the incident commander broke the news to firefighters on the fire. We took a moment here of silence because it’s one of our own,” said fire information officer Mark Wilkening.
He said the man was a “tree faller” who took down dead trees along the fire line that might re-ignite the blaze. He became ill while he was working Monday and was taken to the hospital where he later died.
The family has requested the firefighter’s name not be released.
The fire closest to the town of Chelan is now 50-percent contained and some evacuations in the area have been lifted.
More than 4,000 firefighters are working to contain dozens of lightning-sparked wildfires burning. Weak winds and stagnant conditions are forecast to continue in the eastern foothills of the Cascades for several days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
