Air tanker pilot fighting fire in Eastern Oregon dies in crash

Authorities announced Friday that a pilot was found dead after the single-engine air tanker he was operating crashed near a wildfire in Oregon.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had contracted the pilot to assist with firefighting efforts on the Falls Fire, according to a Facebook update from the agency. The plane had been reported missing the previous day, and a rescue team later located the wreckage.

The pilot’s identity has not yet been released and will be disclosed by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office at a later time.

As of Friday afternoon, the Falls Fire has burned over 140,000 acres and is 55 percent contained. The crash occurred near Seneca, Oregon, within the Malheur National Forest.

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