ALTURAS, Calif. — The U.S. Forest Service says a smokejumper has been killed while fighting one of dozens of lightning-sparked fires in northeast California.
Luke Sheehy, of Susanville, was fatally injured by part of a falling tree in Modoc National Forest.
The 28-year-old was a member of the Redding-based California Smokejumpers — firefighters who parachute into remote areas from airplanes.
Gov. Jerry Brown called Sheehy "a young man who devoted his life to protecting his fellow Californians." The Capitol's flags will fly at half-staff in his honor.
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell says the agency will review the circumstances surrounding the death.
