Southern Oregon/Northern California Mourn Two Wildfire Victims

“A Sad Day in Public Safety”.

Southern Oregon and Northern California have been relatively fortunate with wildfires this season, but two recent tragedies underscore the devotion and commitment for first responders and veterans that it takes to keep our communities and wilderness safe. Two recently paid the ultimate sacrifice.

One had begun his journey into wildfire prevention – Collin Hagan – and the other was a long-term fire lookout in the Klamath Wilderness, Katherine Shoopman. In a sense, the two tragedies bookend the wildfire experience…a young Hotshot and a veteran fire lookout have both been lost in separate blazes.

Kathy Shoopman, one of the victims killed in the McKinney Fire, California’s largest blaze this year, was a woman in her 70s and a “beloved, long-time” wildfire lookout, the U.S. Forest Service said. Kathy Shoopman had served as a fire lookout for nearly five decades, according to a post from the Klamath National Forest’s Facebook account announcing her death.

“It is with great sadness that we must announce that the Klamath National Forest has lost one of its own,” the post said. “… Kathy died in her home in the community of Klamath River as a result of the McKinney Fire.” Kathy loved nature and her garden and her five decades as a fire lookout gave a steady, comforting presence to others in the lookout group, with her voice calming over the radio. She knew fires intimately, so there is some speculation about how she came about being caught in the fire–but unfortunately, whatever the reason, the end result was tragic.

Collin Hagan was part of Hotshot crew fighting the blaze north of Crater Lake. The 27-year-old firefighter from Michigan was killed by a falling tree, officials announced Thursday.“With heavy hearts we share that wildland firefighter Collin Hagan of the Craig Interagency Hotshots was killed yesterday after sustaining critical injuries from being struck by a tree while engaged in firefighting efforts on the Big Swamp Fire near Oakridge, on the Willamette National Forest,” officials said in a press release.

The Hotshot crew is based in Craig, Colorado. On Wednesday afternoon, 911 dispatchers received information that a wildland firefighter was critically injured after being struck by a tree. Umpqua Valley Ambulance and REACH Air Medical Services were dispatched to the scene. Despite lifesaving efforts by EMS personnel assigned to the fire, Hagan succumbed to his injuries, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Once the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Douglas County Medical Examiner’s Office were notified, Hagan’s body was flown from the Toketee Airstrip to the Roseburg Regional Airport by REACH Air Medical Services helicopter. Firefighters from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Roseburg Fire Department and Douglas County Fire District 2 stood together to honor Hagan as his body arrived and was transferred to the care of a funeral service provider.

The firefighters then provided an honor escort to the funeral home, the sheriff’s office said. “It is a sad day in public safety,” Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said in a statement. “On behalf of the men and women of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, I extend my heartfelt sympathies to Firefighter Hagan’s family, friends, co-workers and all who knew this brave young man.”

A Serious Accident Investigation Team is being assembled, officials said. “We are devastated by the tragic loss of a cherished firefighter working on our forest to save our communities and beloved recreational areas,” said Duane Bishop, Willamette National Forest acting forest supervisor. “Their family has been notified, and we are working with our partners to ensure the crew is well taken care of. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and fellow crew members of this brave firefighter.”

The 117-acre Big Swamp Fire is part of a group of fires burning north of Crater Lake National Park. The fire was sparked by lightning Aug. 1. More than 150 people were assigned to the fire as of Thursday, according to the national Incident Information System that tracks fires. There you have it. Two experts, doing what they loved, helping our communities, and caught up in the chaos that a wildfire maelstrom brings.

Collin’s well-deserved honor guard perhaps will bring some relief. And Kathy’s long-time service of love for the wilderness will live on. The bravery of these front-line workers is hard for most of us to fathom, but perhaps we can send a prayer to Kathy and Collin. At CRT, we salute Kathy and Collin.

Let them not be forgotten.