LOS ANGELES _ A firefighter was killed Sunday morning battling the massive Ferguson fire near Yosemite, marking the second firefighting death in Mariposa County and the eighth fire-related death as more than a dozen wildfires rage across the state.
The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks firefighter was killed when he was struck by a tree during a tactical firing operation in an area with many dead trees on the east side of the fire, according to the National Park Service. He was treated at the scene but died before he could be taken to a hospital. Authorities are withholding the man's name until his family is notified.
"The team at Sequoia and Kings National Parks is devastated by this terrible news," parks Superintendent Woody Smeck said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences go out to the firefighter's family and loved ones. We grieve this loss with you."
Hillsides in the area are filled with trees that have been killed by five years of drought and a bark beetle infestation, according to state maps. The ground is carpeted with bone-dry pine needles, which are highly combustible. These conditions, combined with dry, hot weather, pose a huge risk to firefighters.
"The biggest overall risk is that these dead trees have an increased risk of falling _ themselves and their limbs falling on firefighters," Heather Williams, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman, told the Los Angeles Times several days after the Ferguson fire broke out.
The fire started July 13 and claimed a Cal Fire bulldozer operator's life in its first day when a bulldozer tumbled down a hillside during the building of a defensive line. The blaze has left seven others injured as it has devoured more than 53,000 acres. Yosemite National Park remains closed while thousands of structures are under threat.
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