Firefighter killed in California wildfire was with Draper FD

Firefighter killed in California wildfire was with Draper FD

DRAPER, Utah (AP) — A Salt Lake City suburb’s mayor says a Utah firefighter who died battling a California wildfire was from his city’s fire department.

Draper Mayor Troy Walker said Tuesday in a statement posted on the city’s Facebook page that the firefighter’s death was “tragic news” and that he was “a true hero.”

The firefighter’s identity and details on his death weren’t released but California authorities said he died Monday night at a hospital after being injured at the site of the Mendocino Complex fire north of San Francisco.

The Draper department was among seven Utah agencies that sent a convoy of equipment to California on Aug. 2 for an expected three-week deployment to battle wildfires that have spread through drought-parched forests and rural communities.