Dozer Operator Killed While Fighting Wrights Spring Fire
Sheriff Mitchell said rapidly changing fire behavior cut off the operator’s escape route during firefighting operations.
CHILOQUIN, Ore. — A 47-year-old Klamath Falls man was killed while operating a bulldozer during firefighting operations on the Wrights Spring Fire, the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday evening.
Jason Ensign was operating a Caterpillar D-6 dozer for Green Diamond Timber Resource Company in the Yahwee Plateau area, where crews were building dozer lines and improving access ahead of the advancing wildfire.
According to the Klamath County Sheriff Shane Mitchell, the fire experienced unexpected and rapid growth associated with a weather event, producing extreme fire behavior. The changing conditions cut Ensign’s dozer off from its escape route to a safety zone.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., crews realized a dozer was missing and began searching the area.
After fire conditions diminished, crews went to Ensign’s last known location using information from his cell phone and witness statements. Klamath County Sheriff’s Office personnel and the Oregon Department of Forestry later located the extensively damaged dozer.
Ensign was found deceased inside the enclosed cab.
Sheriff Shane Mitchell called the death a heartbreaking loss and asked the public to remember the firefighters, equipment operators, pilots, dispatchers, law enforcement officers, and other personnel continuing to work under difficult conditions on the Wrights Spring Fire.
“This is a heartbreaking loss, said Sheriff Mitchell. “Behind every helmet, every engine and every piece of heavy equipment is a person who went to work expecting to come home. Jason was doing dangerous work in an effort to help protect others and support the firefighting operation.”
The fatality occurred as the fire underwent significant growth. The Wrights Spring Fire was mapped at approximately 8,722 acres Friday, with Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 evacuation notices in effect around the incident.
Northwest Team 8 and the Oregon State Fire Marshal Green Incident Management Team are now operating in unified command.
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