Tatum Todd – oregonlive.com
Search-and-rescue teams on Friday found the wreckage of a small tanker plane that went missing the previous night while fighting a fire in eastern Oregon.
The body of the pilot, whose name has not yet been released, was also discovered, said Lisa Clark, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service.
Clark said the wreckage of the plane was in a steep, forested area north of the Falls fire.
Firefighters and a Grant County Sheriff’s Office search-and-rescue team recovered the body of the pilot, the only person who was on the plane, and brought it to John Day.
The cause of the crash is not known. Clark said the National Transportation Safety Board will be involved in the investigation of the incident.
The area of eastern Oregon where the pilot crashed is currently experiencing multiple wildfires, including the 141,927-acre Falls megafire, the 9,000-acre Telephone fire and the 281-acre Whiskey fire. The danger posed by the fires has prompted Malheur National Forest to completely close for the first time in its 116-year history.
Gov. Tina Kotek weighed in with sadness on the first 2024 wildfire related death in Oregon. “I am mourning the life that was lost in the fight against the Falls Fire,” she said in a statement Friday evening. “On behalf of Oregon, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the firefighter’s family, loved ones, and fellow firefighters. Firefighters in the field look out for one another. When harm falls on one, it is felt by all. I want to thank all those who were a part of the search efforts … and everyone fighting fires right now. I have your back, and I will continue to deploy every available resource to aid you.”
— Tatum Todd covers crime and public safety. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com, or 503-221-4313.
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