Incident Name: 3-acre Nabob Fire, Siskiyou Mountain Ranger District, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon/California
Date: August 25, 2013, 1800 hrs
Personnel: Oscar Montano-Garcia of White City, OR
Age: 58
Agency/Organization: Pacific Coast Contractors, Inc of Medford OR, under contract with the USFS
Position: handcrew firefighter
Summary: On August 25, 2013, Oscar Montano-Garcia collapsed and died of a medical condition (probable heart attack) while on a (federally mandated) lunch break with his crew. He had been working with his crew doing rehab on the 3-acre lightning-caused Nabob Fire, Siskiyou National Forest near the Oregon/California border. EMTs on the scene administered CPR but Montano-Garcia died.
Maps
Nabob Fire, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, northern Siskiyou County, 3 miles south of Applegate Lake, just above the Oregon border; in WildCad SMRD Nabob fire location is described as Siskiyou County, Palmer Creek; fire reported 8/22/2013 at 07:21 (incident #RSF-633, P6EK2J (0610), fire #073
Applegate Lake area:
{mosmap lat=’42.038444’|lon=’-123.135320’|marker=’0’|text=’Applegate Lake area’}
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Information on the Forest Service website about the fires:
- Information from the WCOR-MIC
- Local Firefighter Dies in Siskiyou County8/28/2013 | Online Newscast (No longer 0nline)
SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. — White City Firefighter Oscar Montano-Garcia died Sunday afternoon while working on the Nabob Fire in Siskiyou County. Garcia was 55 years old and a contract firefighter for Pacific Coast Contracting. He died from a heart attack on the fire lines. (He and his crew were on a lunch break.)
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was the first to respond and are now handing it off to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office is doing an autopsy to determine the cause of death, which could take up to 6-8 weeks.
Garcia’s family has chosen to not release photos at this time and is asking for privacy from the public. NewsWatch 12 is respecting their wishes. The Nabob Fire is on Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest land.
- USFA Memorial Database: Oscar Montano-Garcia
Wildlandfire.com Links:
Media Articles and Reports
- Jackson County Firefighter dies while working on California Fire8/28/2013 | Online Article
A contract firefighter from Jackson County died of natural causes Sunday afternoon while fighting a northern California wildfire, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department confirmed. He was under contract to the U.S. Forest Service.
Oscar Montano-Garcia, in his 50s, collapsed while on a lunch break with other crew members fighting the Nabob Fire, located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, officials said. Emergency personnel administered CPR, which was unsuccessful. The manner of death has yet to be determined, but had nothing to do with firefighting. “It was not related to the fire in any way,” said Jayme Lynch, spokeswoman for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department.
Mercy Flights responded to the scene to transport Montano-Garcia’s body from the site, police said.
- Firefighter from Medford dies on duty at Nabob Fire, Oscar Montano-Garcia collapsed during a lunch break, not working the fire8/29/2013 | Online Article
A contract firefighter from Medford died Sunday afternoon while fighting a wildfire in Northern California, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Wednesday.
Oscar Montano-Garcia collapsed while on a lunch break with other crew members fighting the Nabob fire, located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, officials said. Emergency personnel administered CPR but were unable to revive Montano-Garcia. The manner of death has yet to be determined. (More at the link…)
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- Oscar Montano-Garcia’s private service for his family is on Saturday August 31, 2013.
- Governor Kitzhaber orders flags at half-staff in honor of FirefighterFlags to be lowered Saturday, August 31, 2013
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kitzhaber today ordered all flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, August 31, 2013, in honor of Oscar Montano-Garcia of Medford.
“Oscar Montano-Garcia passed away while working the Nabob Fire just south of Applegate Lake,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “He was a crew foreman, with a long history of both working in and enjoying Oregon’s forests. This was a difficult fire in challenging terrain, and we are saddened by this difficult loss. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, and I urge all Oregonians to take a moment to remember Oscar, his dedication to public safety, and his sacrifice.”
- Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training: Five approved for addition to Oregon State’s Fallen Firefighter Memorial – 7/24/2014
John Hammack – Deschutes County, Deschutes National Forest
BACKGROUND: On August 25, 2013, Oscar Montano-Garcia, 50, collapsed and died of a medical condition working on the Nabob Fire in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest near the Oregon/California border. Oscar was employed as a contract Type 2 hand crew wildland fire fighter with Pacific Coast Contractors, Inc. (Under contract to the USDA Forest Service). He was on a lunch break (federally mandated) with his crew when he collapsed and succumbed to an unknown medical condition. EMT’s on scene and multiple other EMS personnel attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful. He had a long history of working with Pacific Coast Contractors, Inc., and in Oregon’s Forests. Oscar was highly regarded by those he worked with. He leaves behind his wife, daughter and son.
Contributors to this article: Mellie, RJM, the WFF
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