Posted with permission from Confined Space, a newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A firefighter died Thursday while working a colossal wildfire burning in coastal mountains northwest of Los Angeles that has become the fourth largest in California history. Cory Iverson was an engineer with a state fire engine strike team based in San Diego. Iverson, 32, is survived by his pregnant wife and a 2-year-old daughter, said Fire Chief Ken Pimlott of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Iverson had been with the state since 2009. The autopsy showed Iverson died from “thermal injuries and smoke inhalation,” the County of Ventura said. Pimlott did not provide any details about the death but said it was under investigation by an accident review team.