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.
