Dozer operator dies as Wrights Spring Fire rapidly expands in Southern Oregon

A 47-year-old Klamath Falls firefighter, Jason Ensign, was killed Aug. 6 while operating a Cat D-6 dozer on the Wrights Spring Fire in the Yahwee Plateau area of southern Oregon. Firefighters were building lines when a weather-driven surge caused extreme fire behavior that cut his escape route. The fire grew to about 8,000 acres near Chiloquin by Aug. 7. Ensign worked with Green Diamond Timber Resource Co. and died inside the dozer cab; authorities offered condolences to his family, coworkers and all emergency personnel involved.