Incident Name:
Date: 9/7/65
Personnel: James Z Mcdonell
Age: 46
Agency/Organization: US Forest Service
Position: firefighter
Summary: James Mcdonell was apparently staying warm in a vehicle during night shift on a fire on the Eldorado National Forest, when he died from asphyxiation, probably carbon monoxide poisoning from the vehicle exhaust.
[We could find no news articles or other documents to add additional information. If you know of any, please let us know.]Maps
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- NWCG: Historical Wildland Fire Fatalities 1910-1996 (408 K pdf)
- Date: 1965
- Fire Name / Location: Eldorado National Forest, CA
- Number of Fatalities: 1
- Agency: US Forest Service
- Fire behavior observed: Unknown, Occurred during nightshift.
- Remarks: Firefighter died of asphyxiation. Was staying warm in vehicle.
- California Death Index: James Z Mcdonell
- Name: James Z Mcdonell
- Event Type: Death
- Event Date: 07 Sep 1965
- Event Place: Placer, California, United States
- Birth Date: 10 May 1919
- Birthplace: California
- Gender: Male
- Father’s Name:
- Mother’s Name: Reyonlds
- age: 45
Return to top
Wildlandfire.com Links:
Media Articles and Reports
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- California Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento / CA LODDs by Wall Order: James Z Mcdonell
- US Forest Service Heroes Memorial: James Z Mcdonell
Contributors to this article: Mellie
Please support the Wildland Firefighter Foundation
