Idaho firefighter died after being hit by falling tree near Kooskia

Isabella Oscarson, a firefighter with the Idaho Department of Lands, tragically died after being struck by a falling tree during a prescribed fire near Kooskia. The incident occurred while she was assisting with a U. S. Forest Service timber sale related to the Tinker Bugs project. After the accident, she was evacuated to Grangeville, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Governor Brad Little ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff, emphasizing the impact of her loss on the firefighting community. "Her life was cut far too short while serving the people of Idaho," he remarked. The prescribed fire was conducted south of U. S. Highway 12, above the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River.

The Idaho Department of Lands director, Dustin Miller, expressed deep sympathies to Oscarson's family and colleagues. Services for Oscarson are still being planned, as the community mourns her untimely death.