July 12--A California inmate firefighter who was badly hurt while tackling a wildfire near Lakeside died from his injuries Tuesday.
Frank Anaya, 22, was wielding a chainsaw July 5 during firefighting efforts and sliced into his leg with the tool, severing his femoral artery, which required several surgeries at a local hospital, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The U.S. Fire Administration said in a release that crews were clearing brush and working with air crews to successfully defend a threatened mobile home park when the injury occurred.
Anaya, who began serving a sentence in September on assault and weapons charges, had been assigned to the La Cima Conservation Camp in San Diego County since April.
"We are saddened by the death of Frank Anaya and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends," state corrections secretary Scott Kernan said in a statement. "Anaya provided an invaluable public service and helped protect our communities from devastating fires."
Cal Fire officials are reviewing the incident, and the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health is also investigating, an official said.
Anaya is the second inmate firefighter to die this year after Matthew Beck, 26, was killed when he was struck by a large falling tree in Humboldt County.
Five inmate firefighters have lost their lives since the prisoner conservation program was created in the 1940s.
