- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Utah officials identify battalion chief killed battling Mendocino Complex
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Utah officials have identified the veteran firefighter who died while fighting the Mendocino Complex’s Ranch fire on Monday evening.
During a Tuesday morning press conference in Draper City, Utah, Mayor Troy Walker said Draper City Fire Department Battalion Chief Matthew Burchett, 42, lost his life while on the fire lines of the complex.
Walker, flanked by city fire, police and administrative staff, explained that Draper – a city of about 42,000 located in Salt Lake and Utah counties – sent a team of five firefighters, including Burchett, to California on Aug. 2.
“The team has worked tirelessly to protect lives and property,” Walker said.
He added of Burchett, “The entire community of Draper is grieving his loss.”
Chief Burchett joined Draper City Fire in May of this year after having spent 20 years working for the Greater Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority. He had extensive experience with both wildland and structure fires, Walker said.
Walker said Burchett leaves behind a wife and a young son.
He said Burchett’s death is a loss for fire departments across the nation.
Walker said he did not have much information on the incident that fatally injured Burchett on Monday evening.
Cal Fire also has not released any details about the incident, which Monday evening radio reports said had involved Burchett being hit by a falling tree, as Lake County News has reported.
Cal Fire officials said during a brief Monday night press conference that Burchett had been airlifted to a local hospital, where he died.
Fellow Draper City Battalion Chief Bart Vawdrey said he had known Burchett for a long time, and noted that Burchett had jumped at the chance to go to California to assist with fighting the fires.
Complex shows no sign of slowing
On Tuesday morning, the Mendocino Complex reached 354,410 acres and 68-percent containment, growing another 10,000 acres in 24 hours, fire officials said.
All of that growth has been on the Ranch fire, the active portion of the complex where Burchett was working when he was mortally injured. The Ranch fire as of Tuesday morning was 305,490 acres and 68-percent contained.
The River fire, at 48,920 acres, was fully contained on Monday, Cal Fire said.
The complex has destroyed 265 structures, more than half of them homes, and damaged another 36 buildings.
It also has injured two other firefighters, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire has the complex listed as the largest wildland fire incident in state history. The Ranch fire alone is the largest single wildland fire on record, surpassing the December Thomas fire by more than 20,000 acres.
Burchett was part of a firefighting force of thousands who came not just from around California and the nation, but from other countries – including Australia and New Zealand. Some 200 active duty military firefighters from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion are on the fire lines, officials reported.
Walker said Tuesday that Draper officials expect to have more information in the coming days regarding services and a donation fund for Burchett’s family.
On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Jerry Brown honored Burchett for his sacrifice.
“Firefighters from across the nation – and world – have selflessly battled California’s massive wildfires, and sadly today we mourn the loss of one of those heroes from Draper, Utah, Chief Matthew Burchett. Our hearts ache for his wife and young son, family members, loved ones, colleagues with the Draper City Fire Department and the entire state of Utah,” Brown said in a statement.
In honor of Chief Burchett, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff, the governor said.
Gov. Brown has ordered similar honors this summer for six other firefighters and first responders who have lost their lives in the state’s wildland fires. They are listed below.
Cal Fire Heavy Equipment Operator Braden Varney, 36, of Modesto: Died Saturday, July 14, while fighting the Ferguson Fire on the Sierra National Forest. He was a second generation Cal Fire employee and 10-year veteran of Cal Fire.
Redding Fire Prevention Inspector Jeremiah "Jeremy" Stoke, 37, of Redding: Died Thursday, July 26, while working to ensure the residents of west Redding had a chance to escape the flames. He began his firefighting career 17 years ago and was a 14-year veteran of the City of Redding Fire Department.
Bulldozer operator Don Ray Smith, 81, of Pollock Pines: Died Thursday, July 26, while working to contain the Carr fire in Redding.
National Park Service Fire Captain Brian Hughes, 33, of Squaw Valley: Died Sunday, July 29, when he was struck by a tree while fighting the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park. Hughes was a Fire Captain of the Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots out of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. apprentice lineman Jairus Ayeta, 21, of Santa Rosa: Died Saturday, Aug. 6, in a vehicle crash while working to restore power in the Carr fire area in western Shasta County.
Cal Fire Heavy Equipment Mechanic Andrew Brake, 40 of Chico: Died Thursday, Aug. 9, in a single vehicle crash while on his way to work on the Carr fire burning in Shasta and Trinity counties. He is a six-year veteran of Cal Fire.
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