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The death of
Ventura County Fire Department engineer Ryan Osler, 38, marked
the second wildland firefighting fatality in California this
year, according to the California Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
The so-called Canyon Fire, which has scorched more than 12,000
acres of drought-parched chaparral since erupting Sept. 17,
prompted the closure of the southern end of the air base to all
but essential personnel on Sunday.
It also forced postponement of an Atlas 5 rocket launch
scheduled to carry an Earth-imaging satellite into orbit.
As of late Wednesday, firefighters had managed to carve
containment lines around 70 percent of the blaze's perimeter.
According to an accident report by the California Highway
Patrol, Osler lost his life while driving his water-tender
west-bound toward the fire zone. The rig for unknown reasons
struck a curb and rolled over, killing Osler, who was married
with two children.
A second firefighter riding in the truck was taken to an area
hospital with minor injuries, police and fire officials said.
The cause of the Canyon fire was under investigation.
To date this year, a total of 4,800 wildfires large and small
have blackened more than 204,000 acres statewide, nearly 100,000
acres more than at the same time last year, Cal Fire reported.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Michael Perry)
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