California Fire Kills Three, 14 Dead This Season

YREKA, California, July 29, 2002 (ENS) - A Lassen National Forest engine crew was involved in a single vehicle accident Sunday while assigned to the Stanza fire near Happy Camp, California. Three crew members died in the crash, bringing the number of firefighters killed this season to 14.

The accident occurred at about 1:30 Sunday morning when a Forest Service water tender rolled off the road and down a steep 800 foot embankment.

Those killed were firefighters John Self, 19, of Susanville, and Heather DePaolo, 29, of Redding, and Forest Service engine captain Steven Oustad, 51, of Westwood. A memorial service for them is taking place tonight at the Happy Camp Elementary School ballpark.

U.S. Forest Service truck approaches the Stanza fire July 27. (Photo by Dan George courtesy U.S. Forest Service)

The accident is currently under investigation.

The Stanza Fire is on the Happy Camp District of the Klamath National Forest and was ignited as a result of lightning July 22.

It is a small one as forest fires go, 1,650 acres today, but it has cost more than lives - it has cost $1.5 million to fight. Burning out of control for nearly a week in steep, rough terrain near Sulphur Springs, currently it is about 20 percent contained, with 675 firefighters working to douse the flames.

Fire officials say they expect this fire to continue to grow due to heavy fuels, extremely steep terrain and abnormally dry conditions. Burn out operations in the eastern and southern portions of the fire will increase the acreage burned, they said.

The Stanza fire deaths brought the total number of firefighters killed this summer to 14.

Mourning flag of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation (Photo courtesy NIFC)

Three more people were killed in a June crash in Walker, California, when the wings on a C-130A tanker broke in the air, sending the plane hurtling to the ground inflames. All C-130A tankers in the country were grounded after that crash.

Hawkins & Powers Aviation Inc. of Greybull, Wyoming owned the plane that crashed in Walker and the PB4Y aircraft that went down on July 19.

An Oregon man who worked on contract felling fire damaged trees died July 3 in Colorado, crushed by a tree that looked deceptively solid but had its roots burned away. Alan Wayne Wyatt, 51, from Ontario, Oregon was working the Missionary Ridge fire about 20 miles northeast of Bayfield, Colorado in the San Juan National Forest when the accident occurred.

Five firefighters died June 21 when their passenger van rolled on the freeway en route to the huge Hayman fire in Colorado. Six others were injured in that accident. The van, which was carrying 11 members of a fire crew from Grayback Forestry, was part of an eight vehicle convoy from La Grande, Oregon.