A pilot battling an Oregon wildfire died Monday, Aug. 24, when his helicopter crashed.
Thomas Duffy, 40, was conducting bucket drops on the White River Fire in Mount Hood National Forest in Wasco County, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. He was the only person aboard the Type 1 Kmax helicopter when it crashed, and the crash is under investigation.
“This kind of news is never easy,” Forest Service spokeswoman Suzanne Flory told KTVZ-TV. “We have very limited information at this time, but an investigation has started, and it is ongoing.”
Duffy was from Bozeman, MT. He had been working for Central Copters Inc., a private company out of Belgrade, MT, and was working as a wildland-contract pilot for the U.S. Forest Service, the USFA stated.
“The Adventist community in Bozeman is heartbroken by this tragic loss,” Elden Ramirez, the Adventist Church president for Montana, told GleanerNow. “Our love and prayers are with Tom’s family and loved ones. Tom has a long history of dedicated service as an Adventist leader here in Montana and the Northwest and will be deeply missed.”
The crash marks the first reported wildfire-related death in Oregon this year, The Oregonian reports. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.
The White River Fire began Aug. 17 and had spread across rough terrain when Duffy was making his drop. So far, the fire has burned more than 1,000 acres and is 15 percent contained, The Oregonian added.
