A firefighter died Wednesday from injuries he suffered while battling a New Mexico wildfire last month.
Smokejumper/firefighter Tim Hart, 36, was part of the effort to contain the Eicks Fire in Hidalgo County on May 24, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. He was critically injured during the response and airlifted to a hospital in El Paso, TX, where he remained until his death.
"Our hearts go out to Tim’s family, loved ones, friends, fellow Forest Service employees, and the entire wildland fire community and I ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this time of sorrow while respecting the family’s privacy," the U.S. Forest Service stated in a news release.
Hart had been a wildland firefighter since 2006, starting his career on the Coconino National Forest, AZ, and then the Fremont-Winema National Forest, OR, as an engine crew member, according to the Forest Service. He then joined the Shoshone National Forest, WY, in 2009 as a lead forestry technician on an engine before serving with the Asheville Interagency Hotshot Crew as a lead firefighter in 2010.
Along with working for the Bureau of Land Management on the Ruby Mountain Hotshot Crew, Hart also was part of the smokejumper program in 2016, moving to Grangeville, ID, as a rookie. He worked as a smokejumper squad leader in West Yellowstone, MT, in 2019 and as a spotter last year, the Forest Service added.
Go to the U.S. Forest Service's website for information about how and where to send condolences messages to Hart's family.
