August 19, 2022 10:00 a.m.   

On Thursday, the death of a contract fire fighter on a fire in Josephine County was confirmed by officials with the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Bureau of Land Management.

Preliminary information indicates the individual was critically injured after being struck by a tree. They succumbed to their injuries at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford. The individual’s name is being withheld, pending notification of next of kin.

On a separate fire in Jackson County Thursday, a firefighter was pulled from the line after suffering a heat related illness. They were treated by Applegate Valley Fire District personnel at the fire’s staging area.