Firefighter dies; thousands more take on California blaze
SANTA BARBARA (AP) — One of the thousands of firefighters battling a series of wildfires across Southern California has died, but authorities gave no hint of how.
San Diego-based Cory Iverson was assigned to the blaze northwest of Los Angeles, which has become the fourth largest in California history. Iverson, 32, was an engineer with a state fire engine strike team. He died on Thursday.
Dozens of police and fire vehicles escorted a hearse carrying Iverson’s flag-draped body to the county medical examiner’s office in Ventura.
Iverson had been with the state since 2009 and is survived by his pregnant wife and a two-year-old daughter, said Fire Chief Ken Pimlott of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
It was the second death linked to the fire. A 70-year-old woman was killed in a car crash while evacuating as the fire raged last week. Her body was found inside the wrecked car along an evacuation route.
Pimlott did not provide any details about Iverson’s death, but said it was under investigation by an accident review team.
A return of gusty Santa Ana winds brought renewed activity to inland portions of the so-called Thomas Fire straddling coastal Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Pimlott said he was “deeply saddened” by Iverson’s death but added that fire crews were continuing to focus on their mission.
“The firefight in front of us continues to go on. The communities we are protecting are depending on us and we will not fail,” Pimlott said at an afternoon news conference.