A wildland firefighter from the Northwest Arctic community of Noorvik died Tuesday.
Federal officials said 41-year-old Leslie R. Washington worked for a Huslia-based company called Scorched Earth Services. It was contracted to help fight a 30,000-acre fire on the Minnesota-Ontario border in the Superior National Forest.
Washington and his team were in northern Minnesota when he died after an undisclosed medical emergency. According to a Facebook post from the Superior National Forest, the firefighter suffered a medical emergency around 10:40 a.m. near the small city of Ely in northeast Minnesota. He was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.
In a statement, U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said the agency is “heartbroken at the loss of a wildland firefighter who died while protecting others.”
Washington’s wife told KOTZ she remembers her husband as humble, kind and devoted to his family. She said the loss is being felt throughout Noorvik and across Alaska. She said she wasn’t ready to talk further.
Washington was assigned to the Bear Trap Fire. Officials said Thursday it’s 44 percent contained.
The Department of the Interior said it’s working with the U.S. Forest Service to support Washington’s family, co-workers, and the broader firefighting community as they grieve.
In response, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asked that all U.S. and state flags be flown at half mast.
Washington’s remains will be sent from Minnesota home to Noorvik, according to Scorched Earth Services.
He was one of dozens of firefighters from rural Alaska communities, including from Huslia, Selawik, and Fort Yukon, deployed this season through Scorched Earth Services.
Officials say more information will be released in the coming days.
