21-year-old Forest Service firefighter dies after crash in southern Oregon
A 21-year-old U.S. Forest Service firefighter working for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest died Friday after a pickup truck they were traveling in left the road near Powers in Coos County, according to officials.
The U.S. Forest Service identified the man as Benjamin Charles Sapper. The agency said in a news release Sapper was a first-year hand crew member with the Gold Beach Ranger District originally from Boulder, Colorado.
In a Facebook post, Coquille Fire & Rescue said a truck with Forest Service firefighters left the road above Powers. It was not immediately clear what caused the truck to leave the road or how many others were in it. The Forest Service described the incident as an "on-duty vehicle accident."
“This is a devastating loss of one of our own Gold Beach firefighters," Gold Beach District Ranger Kailey Guerrant said. "We have a tight knit community on the Gold Beach and Powers ranger districts, and we stand together in grief and support for his family, friends, and fellow firefighters during this heartbreaking time."
The Forest Service said Sapper graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and was also a graduate of Boulder High School. The news release said he joined the Forest Service to serve the community and be part of a team.
The agency said he enjoyed playing baseball, chess, skiing, as well as math and philosophy. He was set to begin graduate school in the fall at the University of British Columbia to study earth sciences, the Forest Service said.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: 21-year-old Forest Service firefighter dies after crash in Oregon
