NJFFSA16
08-18-2003, 04:06 AM
My condolences go out to the family.
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - A Massachusetts firefighter found dead in
his tent near a Montana wildfire was described by family and
friends as a trustworthy man and an avid outdoorsman.
Authorities said Wayne W. Mickle, 48, of Pittsfield, was the
first firefighter to die in Montana this season. The cause of death
remained under investigation, but Montana officials said they
suspected it was a heart attack.
Mickle was found dead in his tent at a fire camp outside
Missoula Friday. He was one of about 200 firefighters battling the
Boles Meadow fire.
He was a forest fire patrolman with the Massachusetts Department
of Conservation and Recreation, assigned to Pittsfield State
Forest. Mickle had been with the department for 27 years and had
been sent to forest fires across the country, said seasonal
supervisor Chris Hajjar, who said the death came as a shock.
"It was really sudden. He was in good shape. He told us he'd
see us all in two weeks," before he left last Tuesday, Hajjar
said. "He was a real nice guy, someone you could trust."
Mickle's wife, Leslie, said her husband died doing what he loved
- fighting forest fires.
"He loved this job, and he worked real hard to make it to
Montana," she said, adding that her husband kept in shape by
walking uphill each day wearing a 45-pound backpack.
She said he would be cremated after his wake Tuesday and his
ashes sprinkled on Mount Greylock - Massachusetts' highest mountain
- where they were married.
"He loved to be in the woods and I know that's where he'd like
to be," Leslie Mickle said.
"It's a demanding job, and when he was resting something
happened," said Pittsfield Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Spaniol, who
knew the Mickles.
"He loved hunting, fishing, he loved softball," Spaniol said.
Mickle is survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter, two
brothers, a sister and three grandchildren.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - A Massachusetts firefighter found dead in
his tent near a Montana wildfire was described by family and
friends as a trustworthy man and an avid outdoorsman.
Authorities said Wayne W. Mickle, 48, of Pittsfield, was the
first firefighter to die in Montana this season. The cause of death
remained under investigation, but Montana officials said they
suspected it was a heart attack.
Mickle was found dead in his tent at a fire camp outside
Missoula Friday. He was one of about 200 firefighters battling the
Boles Meadow fire.
He was a forest fire patrolman with the Massachusetts Department
of Conservation and Recreation, assigned to Pittsfield State
Forest. Mickle had been with the department for 27 years and had
been sent to forest fires across the country, said seasonal
supervisor Chris Hajjar, who said the death came as a shock.
"It was really sudden. He was in good shape. He told us he'd
see us all in two weeks," before he left last Tuesday, Hajjar
said. "He was a real nice guy, someone you could trust."
Mickle's wife, Leslie, said her husband died doing what he loved
- fighting forest fires.
"He loved this job, and he worked real hard to make it to
Montana," she said, adding that her husband kept in shape by
walking uphill each day wearing a 45-pound backpack.
She said he would be cremated after his wake Tuesday and his
ashes sprinkled on Mount Greylock - Massachusetts' highest mountain
- where they were married.
"He loved to be in the woods and I know that's where he'd like
to be," Leslie Mickle said.
"It's a demanding job, and when he was resting something
happened," said Pittsfield Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Spaniol, who
knew the Mickles.
"He loved hunting, fishing, he loved softball," Spaniol said.
Mickle is survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter, two
brothers, a sister and three grandchildren.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)