Firefighter Dies in Wildfire

Aug. 12 -- A firefighter was killed after a wind-fueledwildfire engulfed his truck on the Wind River Indian Reservation in WyomingFriday.

The firefighter, who was not identified, was the 11th person todie in Western wildfires this season, according to a National Interagency Fire Center official.

A second firefighter was burned and listed in stable conditionat a Riverton hospital, said Perry Baker of the Bureau of IndianAffairs.

Strong winds pushed the blaze out of control, forcingfirefighters to back off the 25,000-acre Kates Basin fire and5,000-acre Blondie Pass fire.

Both fires are located in the Owl Creek Mountains west ofThermopolis in a sparsely populated area of central Wyoming.

The two firefighters were the only crew members fighting aportion of the blaze when the fire roared over their fire engine,Baker said.

The firefighter died at the scene, Baker said. The injuredfirefighter suffered from burns and smoke inhalation.

The firefighters will be identified pending notification ofrelatives, he said.

This is the second fatality in these recent series of wildfires that have ravaged the West this month. On Aug. 3, a helicopter assigned to a fire in northeastern Nevada crashed during takeoff, killing one crew member.

Weather Provides Aid

Though cooler temperatures, rain and high humidity provided some relief, overnight lightning strikes ignited new fires and created new problems for overwhelmed crews battling wildfires in the West Friday.

Dozens of fires across several states have scorched more than 901,000 acres, forcing more evacuations. Firefighters have made some progress: On Thursday, 70 large fires were burning in 12 states. Friday, the National Fire Interagency in Boise, Idaho said 60 fires are now burning in 10 states. Fire managers in New Mexico and Oregon reported all major firescontained. In California, the 11,734-acre Pechanga Indianreservation fire was contained late Thursday, and firefighters werestanding by in case high winds fanned the flames of the 74,439-acre Manter fire.