An inmate firefighter died due to injuries sustained while working on a fire line Wednesday, according to the California Department or Corrections Rehabilitation(CDCR).
According to the CDCR, the inmate, 26-year-old Matthew Beck, died after a 120-foot-tall tree fell on him while he was working on a fire line in Humboldt County.
The CDCR said Beck was leading a crew that was clearing brush in an effort to contain a fire in the Hoopa area. He suffered major head, neck and back injuries when the large tree uprooted and fell on him. According to the CDCR, life-flight crews were unable to reach him in time due to the remoteness of the area where the accident occurred.