Crash and a grass fire close I-35 in Oklahoma, Sept. 27, 2022. Oklahoma Highway Patrol photo.
Interstate 35 in Noble County, Oklahoma Tuesday was closed for hours following a multiple vehicle crash in which at least one person died. Aerial footage showed fires in the rubble of mangled semi trucks and other vehicles. A nearby grass fire burned up to the Interstate and authorities suspect smoke from the fire reduced the visibility that led to the crash.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the highway was completely shut down southbound at mile marker 211 and northbound at mile marker 203.
The red dots on the map represent heat detected on wildfires in Algeria. Satellite photo, August 17, 2022. The fires were creating a great deal of smoke when the photo was taken.
Wildfires in Northeast Algeria have killed at least 38 people according to reports by local journalists and the fire service. Most of the fatalities have occurred in the El Tarf province near Algeria’s border with Tunisia within about 20 miles of the Mediterranean Sea.
Officials said that 39 fires were spreading through parts of northern Algeria, and they warned that hot, dry winds could worsen the situation. Approximately 16 fires are near the city of El Tarf.
At least 26 killed and dozens injured in forest fires that devastated Algeria’s, El Tarf, near Tunisia border. Interior minister Kamel Beldjoud said firefighters, supported by helicopters, were trying to contain several blazes on August 17 evening. With 350 residents evacuated. pic.twitter.com/Q9ucxtP39C
The US Forest Service has announced that one of the four people killed in the McKinney Fire in Northern California was Kathy Shoopman, a long-time FS employee. The agency said she died in her home in the community of Klamath River as a result of the fire on July 29, the day the fire erupted.
Ms. Shoopman started her career as a lookout at Baldy Mountain Lookout, west of Happy Camp, in 1974. Since then, she has staffed Lake Mountain Lookout, and most recently Buckhorn Lookout, a post she has held since 1993. She lived in the community of Klamath River for nearly five decades and was a talented artist, gardener, and a devout animal lover.
All four victims lived in Klamath River, which was ordered to evacuate on July 29 as the fire spread rapidly. It has now burned more than 60,000 acres. Ms. Shoopman was the first victim to have been positively identified.
Our sincere condolences go out to Ms. Shoopman’s family, friends, and co-workers.
Christopher Kendrick (photo from the gofundme page)
Christopher Kendrick, a wildland firefighter, died while off duty July 4 when the car in which he was a passenger crashed on the way to an Independence Day fireworks display in Ukiah, Oregon. He is survived by his wife, Gabrielle, and their two-month-old son, Cecil.
The 29-year-old Kendrick was a crew member on the Umatilla Veteran Crew (UVC), a Type 2 Initial Attack Hand Crew based out of the North Fork John Day Ranger District of the Umatilla National Forest in northeast Oregon.
Before becoming a wildland firefighter, Kendrick spent seven years in the U.S. Air Force, serving as a military policeman, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant before being medically discharged due to an illness he contracted during his second deployment to Afghanistan. Treatment for the disease included surgery to remove several feet of Kendrick’s small intestine, his gall bladder and his bile duct.
Despite these medical setbacks, Kendrick remained undaunted and determined to continue serving his community. He chose to do so as a wildland firefighter. His first year of firefighting saw him serve on a BLM engine in Boise before joining the UVC for his sophomore year.
“He was really driven,” UVC Crew Supervisor Sam Bowen said. “After his injuries in the Air Force, he was really determined to find something similar to the military, a physical and mental challenge, as much to prove it to himself that he still had it as anything. I think he really found that in this job.”
Kendrick’s doggedness showed throughout his time with the UVC, according to crewmembers. During trying physical activities, he would tell his crewmates “I will die before I quit.” Those physical trials included the crew’s annual 12-mile training hike, which the crew said he completed without issue. Kendrick also participated in the UVC’s annual “Freedom Run,” a 17.76-mile run to celebrate the Fourth of July. Kendrick and the rest of the crew completed the run just three days before his passing.
The UVC has established a gofundme to support the Kendrick family during this period of mourning.
Patrick Gladics was working as a Helicopter Manager in Sierra Vista
Patrick Gladics. BLM photo.
A Bureau of Land Management firefighter who was reported missing on May 14 was found deceased May 16 in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Patrick Gladics was staying at a hotel while working out of the Sierra Vista Municipal Airport in southern Arizona as a helicopter manager, but failed to report to duty on May 14.
The Coronado National Forest reported that the Sierra Vista Police Department with the assistance of Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue, found the body of the 38-year-old firefighter shortly before 12:30 p.m. May 16.
Mr. Gladics was found deceased in the desert area west of Walmart in Sierra Vista. SVPD Special Operations detectives responded to investigate the scene. The case is being referred to the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation.
His BLM vehicle had been located at the Walmart in Sierra Vista on Monday. Video surveillance showed him on foot heading north toward the open desert from the parking lot at about 5 a.m. on Saturday May 14.
The 11,620-acre San Rafael Fire is near the US/Mexico border 20 miles southwest of Sierra Vista. The latest entry on Inciweb was on May 15, reporting that the fire was 100 percent contained and was staffed by five people. Another fire in the area, the 112-acre Locklin Fire 20 miles southeast of Sierra Vista, was listed as contained April 30.
We send out our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of Mr. Gladics.
A former wildland firefighter with experience on helitack and fire crews was killed in the crash of a helicopter in a Dallas suburb Friday.
After six years on the Teton Interagency Helitack crew in Jackson, Wyoming, Lora Trout left to fulfill her dream of flying helicopters full-time and return to fight fire as a pilot. Prior to her work in helitack she worked as a wildland firefighter on the White River National Forest in Colorado and the Boise National Forest in Idaho. She also worked as a helitack squad boss on the Tonto National Forest in Arizona.
Lora Trout. USFS photo.
She became licensed as a helicopter pilot and got a job as a tour pilot, then achieved the next step, becoming certified as flight instructor.
Investigator with tail rotor from the March 25 helicopter crash. ABC 8 image.
Lora was giving a lesson to Ty Wallis Friday when the tail boom separated from the Robinson R44, (N514CD), causing the helicopter to crash and catch fire in a vacant lot in Rowlett, Texas. Both were killed.
“Lora was a dear friend, dedicated coworker, physical fitness leader, and an immediate positive influence to all she knew,” said a statement from the Bridger-Teton National Forest. “Her charismatic wit and strength were evident in all she did, particularly in her passion for aviation and wildland firefighting. To those that knew her, she was a “go to” for advice, help, and humor.”
In a series of Tweets, Elan Head, a helicopter pilot and contributor to Vertical Magazine, said Lora was qualified as a Helicopter Manager, Short Haul, and was an EMT. Ms. Head described Lora as a friend and a “bad ass.” Check out the Twitter thread below (or see it on Twitter).
?: I’d like to tell you about Lora Trout, the pilot who died in the helicopter crash in Texas on Friday. She was a friend of mine and beloved by some of the best people I know. pic.twitter.com/6SVuO6xQyT
