Incident Name: Cougar Ridge Fire on Weyerhaeuser tree farm land in Oregon
Date: September 13, 1979
Personnel: Richard Underhill
Age: 22
Agency/Organization: Douglas Forest Protective Association working in mutual aid with the ODF
Position: Firefighter with Coos Fire Protection
Summary: On September 13, 1979, the Cougar Ridge Fire overtook Underhill as he and his crew were fighting the fire. He died trying to outrace exploding flames up a steep slope at the top of a draw. Three others were burned but survived.
Maps
General area of Cougar Ridge Fire. If anyone has more detailed information, please let us know.
{mosmap lat=’43.375316’|lon=’-123.627744’|marker=’0’|text=’General area of Cougar Ridge Fire’}
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Richard Underhill named as fallen
- State of Oregon: Fallen Heroes Website (pdf download summary)
- Oregon Death Index: Richard Den Underhill
- US Social Security Death Index: Richard Underhill
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Contributors to this article: Rick L. Young
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