Pilot dies in single-engine tanker plane crash while working on new forest fire in Eastern Oregon

(Update: Crash confirmed, pilot killed)

SENECA, Ore. (KTVZ) – A BLM-contracted single-engine firefighting plane helping fight a wildfire in eastern Oregon crashed Thursday evening. The pilot on board died, authorities said.

A Grant County search and rescue team located the plane Friday morning and confirmed the fatality, said Lisa Clark, a Bureau of Land Management public information officer for the Falls Fire. The single-engine tanker, a small and maneuverable aircraft that looks like an agricultural plane, was located Friday morning in steep, wooded terrain after the search was called off at nightfall the previous day, Clark said.

The FAA confirmed that the single-engine Air Tractor 802A crashed near Seneca at about 11:30 p.m. local time with only the pilot on board.

Search operations began immediately after the missing man was reported Thursday evening near Seneca in the Malheur National Forest, about 25 miles south of John Day, and resumed Friday morning.

The SEAT aircraft and pilot were called to a new lightning-sparked fire outbreak near the 142,000-acre Falls Fire, which began more than two weeks ago and has more than 1,500 firefighters working. It is one of several “mega fires” battling 100,000-acre-plus blazes across Oregon.

The plane was first reported missing around 7 p.m., said Thomas Kyle-Milward, a spokesman for Northwest Incident Management Team 8, which was fighting fires in the area when the plane disappeared, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

The single-engine tanker can carry 800 gallons of water or fire retardant and is flown by a single pilot, Kyle-Milward said. The aircraft was flown from Burns Municipal Airport, KGW reported.

Firefighters battling the Falls fire, officials from the Harney and Grant County sheriff’s offices and the National Guard searched for the missing plane and pilot Thursday evening, and National Guard aircraft used night vision technology to search for the pilot overnight, Kyle-Milward said.

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Falls Fire update for July 26, 2024

Brief information about the Falls Fire:

Size: 141,927 Start date: July 10, 2024 Location: 13 miles northwest of Burns, Oregon

Containment: 55% Total workforce: 1,558 Cause: Man-made, is being investigated

Triage of structures: Residential buildings: 377; Commercial buildings: 118; Outbuildings: 677

Allocated resources: 38 hand crews, 79 engines, 24 bulldozers, 25 watercraft

Air resources available to the fire service: two helicopters and single-engine tanker aircraft (SEATS)

Brief information on the new fire activity:

Whiskey Mountain: 2,565 acres; Cow Creek: 85 acres; Sand: 2,733 acres; Parasol: 353 acres; Poison: 39.6

The Alaska Complex Incident Management Team 1 assumed command of firefighting operations at the Falls and Telephone Fires at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning and remains under the joint command of the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM).

On Thursday afternoon, strong afternoon winds combined with extremely dry fuel increased fire growth on the Telephone Fire. Several new fires were discovered east of the Falls Fire in the Parasol Butte area. Due to the new fires and the spread of the Telephone Fire across FSR28, evacuation levels were issued and extended.

Crews assigned to the Falls Fire responded to new outbreaks and the expanding Telephone Fire and utilized aerial resources to minimize the impact of fire spread. Structure protection crews were quickly mobilized and responded to the area as well. Telephone Fire has grown to 3,000 acres overnight and has continued to spread southeast and is located approximately 4 miles north of Highway 20.

Fire Falls: On Thursday, control lines continued to hold in areas where homes were previously threatened, including the Red Hill area and the community of Izee. Wildland and structural team preparations in the area immediately adjacent to the Sand Fire, where the fire is steadily moving away from structures, were completed. This allowed OSFM resources to focus on the Telephone Fire as fire activity shifted to the northeast. Structural resources also continue to patrol the Highway 395 corridor, protecting properties to the east and west. Structural teams, along with wildland resources, responded to the Parasol Butte area to provide structure protection related to several new fires in the area. This work continued overnight, with teams identifying structures and assessing protection needs.

Crews on the south and west edges continued to reinforce the control line and clear additional hot spots. On the west side, firefighters conducted fire suppression operations to connect the Whiskey Mountain Fire to the Falls Fire. Fire crews utilized direct attack and fire suppression operations to protect resources to the west, including Izee. On the northwest side, firefighters worked to connect portions of the control line using bulldozers and hand crews. On the northeast side, crews advanced the fire line on FSR31 and moved west along Lonesome Creek with the assistance of heavy equipment. On the east edge, operations progressed along FSR31, removing and mopping up fuel.

Today, crews will continue to clean up and secure areas on the south end of the Falls Fire. To the west, direct and indirect fire tactics will be used to connect the Whiskey Mountain Fire to the Falls Fire and existing road lines.

Although Thursday was also an active day, the threat to buildings continues to decrease. As part of the building risk reduction, the number of buildings surveyed and prepared has increased. This means that the location of buildings is being mapped so that emergency responders know the best access routes should they be threatened. The preparation work completed ranges from superficial to full preparation, depending on proximity to the fire. These extensive measures will help reduce the risk to buildings should the fire front move through the area.

New beginnings: Several new fires were reported Thursday in the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) area of ​​the Falls and Telephone fires. Crews assigned to the Falls fire were in initial attack (IA). The largest of these fires is the Parasol fire near Parasol Butte. It is estimated to be about 353 acres. Another fire near Poison Creek was about 40 acres. Crews from several Falls fire locations were assigned to both new fires. Firefighters will remain at the Parasol and Poison fires Friday, working right on the fire’s perimeter when possible. Firefighters assigned to fires surrounding the Falls fire will respond to any new fires.

The Sand Fire, burning near Sand Mountain north of the Falls Fire, was discovered yesterday. Air resources assisted ground forces with firefighting efforts and made steady progress throughout the day. OSFM responders provided structure protection. Crews took advantage of cooler nighttime temperatures to conduct strategic fire operations in conjunction with heavy equipment to create control lines. OSFM crews will work to complete structure protection efforts in the area.

Weather: Smoky conditions will continue throughout the morning. An inversion layer is over the fire and is expected to lift by early afternoon. Temperatures will remain a little lower today, staying around 28 degrees. Skies will be generally clear in the afternoon. As on Thursday, northwest winds will become westerly and breezier in the afternoon before returning to northeast. Gusty winds can be expected again over the fire later in the day.

Evacuations: Evacuations remain in effect in Grant and Harney Counties and have been upgraded to Level 3 evacuations due to the telephone, umbrella and toxic fires. For the most accurate evacuation information, please visit the Harney County Sheriff’s Office evacuation map here: https://tinyurl.com/3zst4sjy or the Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068819321423.

Closures: Due to active wildfires exacerbated by extremely adverse weather conditions, limited firefighting resources, and limited county resources, Malheur National Forest officials have temporarily closed areas within the Malheur National Forest.

Investigation: U.S. Forest Service fire investigators are asking the public for assistance with tips and information regarding the outbreak of the Falls Fire in the Malheur National Forest. Please send any information that may assist in the fire investigation to [email protected].

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Falls-Fire-2024-61562126623985/

If Fire InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ormaf-falls-fire

Telephone fire InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ormaf-telephone-fire

Fire brigade information telephone: 541-208-4370, open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

E-mail: [email protected]

Questions about non-emergency evacuations in Harney County: 541-589-5579

Questions about air quality: 541-573-2271

Smoke prospects: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook

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