OR Firefighter Dies After Fighting Wildfires in AL

Dec. 23, 2016
The OR firefighter who traveled to AL to fight fire has died of injuries he suffered as he was returning home.

The Oregon firefighter who traveled to Alabama to fight fire has died of injuries he suffered as he was returning home.

According to the newspaper The Oregonian, Ray Rubio, 52, a smokejumper with the Deschutes National Forest Service, died on Dec. 19 from injuries he suffered on Nov. 22. Rubio fell about 15 feet over a rail into a parking garage suffering head trauma and a broken knee. He was on his way to a hotel in Birmingham when he fell. According to the newspaper, he remained in intensive care at a local hospital until his death.

Rubio had been deployed to Alabama to help fight fires that had spread throughout Southeastern U.S. last month. He began his career as a smokejumpers in Redmond in 1995. He had been a member of the 82nd Airborne Division while in the military.

A gofundme page has been set up to help with expenses.

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