Roaring River Fire Hit by Tree Fatality 1919

On August 20, 1919, Roy Mitchell of Sandy, Oregon, a U.S. Forest Service employee since 1910, was killed when a 110-foot tall cedar tree burned out at the base and fell, striking him. Mitchell had been assigned to a fire in the Roaring River area on the Mount Hood National Forest. He was with two other firefighters when a warning shout went out that the compromised tree was falling. All three men attempted to escape, but Mitchell was struck. His body was carried two miles by stretcher by four fellow firefighters. Mitchell had just returned from France following overseas military service during World War I.

In 1923, Mount Mitchell, a prominent peak near Ripplebrook, was named in honor of Ranger Roy Mitchell.

Hit by Tree, Fatality, Hand Crews