A firefighter from Utah died Monday battling the largest wildfire in recorded California history, marking the latest fatality in a fire season that has taken a grim toll on first responders.
The firefighter, who was not named, was injured while working on an active portion of the Ranch fire within the massive Mendocino Complex. He was airlifted to a hospital, where he died. Authorities said “fact-finding on the accident” is underway. “We are extremely heartbroken for this loss. We are dedicated to investigating what happened,” said Sean Kavanaugh, an incident commander for the complex, at a brief news conference. “We mourn as we also battle California’s largest wildfire that continues to to burn extremely steep and remote terrain.”