By Bill Carey
6 August 2023

GOLD BEACH, Ore. — The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has announced the line-of-duty death of a U.S. Forest Service firefighter killed in an “on-duty vehicle accident” on Aug. 4, 2023.

Benjamin Charles Sapper, 21, was on-duty and traveling with a crew on Friday when they were involved in a crash near Powers, Oregon, KDVR reported.

In a Facebook post, Coquille Fire & Rescue stated the truck with left the roadway. It was not immediately clear what caused the vehicle to leave the road or how many firefighters were involved.

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest stated that Sapper was originally from Boulder, Colorado, and had been working as a first-year hand crewmember in the Gold Beach Ranger District. 

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Forest Service, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

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