Okanogan assistant chief was burned in a wildfire

The U.S. Fire Administration has announced the official on-duty death of Assistant Fire Chief Christian Dean Johnson, 55, of Okanogan Fire Department/Okanogan County Fire District 3 on October 2, 2019.

On Sunday, September 1, 2019, the Okanogan Fire Department/Okanogan County Fire District 3 responded to the Spring Coulee wildland fire. Assistant Chief Christian Dean Johnson and another firefighter were in a brush truck on the north end of the fire when the flames overtook them. The firefighter with Johnson was able to outrun the fire, but Johnson was unable to escape. The other firefighter came back to treat him and called for help. Johnson was airlifted to the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA, where he died on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, from the burn injuries he sustained in the fire.

Tribute is being paid to Assistant Fire Chief Johnson at http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/firefighter-fatalities/

To date, 41 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2019. Year-to-date and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/ff_fatality_reports.html

Fatality status is provisional and may change as USFA contacts State Fire Marshals to verify fatality incident information.

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