6 Firefighters Have Been Killed Battling Calif. Wildfires

We have some news now from California. A firefighter has died battling the Mendocino Complex Fire, which is the largest recorded fire in California history. Now, the man has yet to be named, although we do know he was injured north of San Francisco and died Monday night at a hospital. A total of six firefighters have died in northern California’s most recent fires.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

That’s right. Braden Varney, a heavy equipment operator, was killed in the Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County. He grew up in Mariposa and spent part of his career working alongside his father, who also worked for Cal Fire.

INSKEEP: Brian Hughes, a native of Hawaii, also died in the Ferguson Fire. He was the captain of the Arrowhead Hotshots, which is a crew responsible for fighting fires in rugged terrain.

GREENE: Andrew Brake, a heavy equipment mechanic, he was killed in a car accident on his way to the Carr Fire near Mount Shasta. He grew up in Chico and spent his time off camping and dirt biking.

INSKEEP: Then there’s Don Ray Smith, a contract bulldozer operator, and Jeremy Stoke, a fire inspector for the Redding Fire Department who also died in incidents related to the Carr Fire. Smith was 81 years old from Pollock Pines. Stoke cut his own vacation short to volunteer to battle the Carr Fire and died while going door to door in a Redding neighborhood helping with evacuations.

GREENE: Now, it is a tradition in the fire service to honor those who have given their lives with the ringing of a final bell. And so this morning, we are going to follow that tradition six times.