UPDATE: A tanker plane that disappeared in eastern Oregon while fighting one of the many wildfires spreading across several Western states has been found, and the pilot on board is dead, authorities said Friday.
A Grant County Search and Rescue team located the aircraft Friday morning and confirmed the death, said Lisa Clark, a Bureau of Land Management information officer for the Falls Fire. The single-engine tanker, a small and nimble plane that looks like a crop duster, was located in steep, forested terrain on Friday morning after the search was suspended at nightfall the day before, Clark said.
The plane contracted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management went missing Thursday. The Falls Fire, near the town of Seneca on the edge of the Malheur National Forest, has grown to 219 square miles (567 square kilometers) and is 55% contained, the government website InciWeb shows.
Ron Wyden, US Senator from Oregon, released a statement on July 26 extending his condolences to the pilot's family and loved ones.
A tragic example of the risks that all firefighters take every day to keep Oregonians safe in our homes and communities. My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the pilot who sacrificed his life battling this fire in Eastern Oregon. https://t.co/uILvFPZK62
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) July 26, 2024
A Bureau of Land Management contracted single-engine air tanker (SEAT) has been reported missing after assisting with the Falls Fire near Seneca, Oregon in the Malheur National Forest.
The tanker was reported missing in the evening on Thursday, July 25.
Ron Wyden, US Senator from Oregon, released a statement on July 26 extending support and hope for a positive outcome to the person flying in the air tanker.
The dangers of fighting fires are constant and this developing news story from Eastern Oregon is a painful reminder of that fact. Let’s all take a moment to think about the people in this air tanker and hope for a positive outcome. https://t.co/uyckFFP0Mc
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) July 26, 2024
Thomas Kyle-Milward, spokesperson for Northwest Incident Management Team 8, said authorities received a report of a missing aircraft around 6:53 p.m. Thursday. The pilot was the only person on board.
The Falls Fire currently measures 141,926 acres and is 55% contained.
